Life
by amaroesm0217
Summary: Eddie Janko is a single mom who becomes a cop to make a better life for her and her daughter. She encounters Jamie Reagan as her TO who changes her life in ways she didnt expect. Might change to T in later chapters. As always, feedback is greatly appreciated.
1. Chapter1

"Come on sweetheart, let's get up so I can drop you off with Ms. Hattie" Eddie said softly as she ran her hands through her young daughter's hair.

"No momma. We go tomorrow okay?" Little Scarlett Rae picked up her head off the pillow and peeked one eye open to look at her mother.

Eddie chuckled at the two year old. "Momma is starting a new job today and I can't be late. When I pick you up in the morning we can go to breakfast okay?"

Scarlett gave a face that reminded Eddie very much of her self. "You pwomise?"

"I promise." She helped the toddler stand up on the bed and engulfed her in a big hug. It had been just the two of them ever since Eddie was six months pregnant. Scarlett's father had left in the middle of the night and had not contacted her since. It was left to Eddie to so many things on her own but thankfully she had wonderful people who stepped in and helped.

She had encountered Ms. Hattie one day while she worked at as a receptionist at a clinic. Eddie was 8 months pregnant and the two of them hit it off instantly. They had become so close that Ms. Hattie was in the delivery room when Scarlett was born. She had become a mother figure to Eddie and a grandmother to Scarlett. It had been the three of them for a while now and Eddie wouldn't have it any other way.

"You have your backpack?" she said looking down at the toddler.

"Yep! And my toys and my night-night clothes!" Scarlett replied excitedly.

"Alright. Seems like you're all set! Let's go!" They walked out of their small one bedroom apartment in Queens to make the 10 minute walk to Ms. Hattie's apartment. She was an older African American woman who was a retired nurse who had worked in the pediatric unit. She had become a widow at a very young age and never had children so she dedicated her life to her work.

"Ok Scarlett, look at me." Eddie got down to the toddler's level as they stopped in front of the door. "You be very good for Nanny Hattie okay? Do everything she tells you."

"I will mama! I always good for Nanny!" she replied.

"I know you are but I had to make sure." She kissed Scarlett on the forehead and stood to knock on the door.

Knock Knock

The door was opened to reveal a smiling Ms. Hattie. "Hi my babies! Come on in!"

They both walked in and got big hugs. "We're gonna have a great time aren't we baby?" she said looking down at Scarlett. She nodded excitedly.

"Good. Go play with your toy box, I put some new goodies in there. Let me talk with your momma." Scarlett ran off while Eddie sat down on the bar stool.

"How're you feeling sweetheart? Nervous?"

"A little but I'm so excited to get out there. I'm ready to put my training to good use."

"I'm glad. I wasn't happy when you joined the academy but I'm very proud of you. You will definitely make a difference. I just have one thing to ask of you." Hattie walked over and put a hand on Eddie's shoulder. "Please come home safe to this baby girl."

"I'll do everything to make sure I do. I've promised her I will."

...

It had been a hell of night for the new partners on the beat. Immediately after meeting her new partner Jamie Reagan, they had been called out to the scene of an officer who had been shot in a chase. They ended up losing her later in the night. Eddie was a little shaken so Jamie decided to take her out for breakfast as soon as their shift ended.

"Hey" he said as he watched Eddie pick at her food. "You alright?"

"Yeah. It was just a crazy night." She put down her fork and looked at him. "Does it get any easier? Seeing things like that?"

"No" he answered honestly. "It doesn't. You just learn how to deal with it better."

"Hope so" she replied.

"So tell me about yourself" he said switching the subject. What's your story?"

"I was born in Yonkers then moved to Manhattan when I was six. Lived there for the longest until my parents passed away when I was 16."

"Man I'm sorry to hear that. My mom passed away when I was in college."

"Sorry to hear that" Eddie replied sincerely. Jamie gave her a small smile.

"So I lived with an aunt until she kicked me out at 18" she said continuing with her story. "Fortunately, I had some money saved up that I was able to afford an apartment in Queens. I actually still have the same one today. And I have a daughter."

"Oh" Jamie said a little surprised. "That's great. What's her name?"

"Scarlett Rae." Eddie pulled out her phone to show him a picture. "She just turned two."

"Woah, she looks just like you" he said eyeing the picture. "She's beautiful. You and your husband are blessed."

"Uh... um... I'm not with anyone. Scarlett's dad left before she was born."

"I'm so sorry" Jamie replied quickly. "I just thought..."

"It's okay." She patted his arm with a smile. "Don't worry about it."

_Buzz.Buzz._

Eddie pulled her phone out to see a message from Hattie.

_From Hattie: a certain little lady is up and is wondering when mama is gonna be home. _

She added a photo of Scarlett who had just woke up with her hair going a thousand different directions.

Eddie let out a chuckle and showed Jamie. "Well it's looks like I should be heading home soon."

He smiled as he looked at the picture. "Yeah you should. Let me pay for this so we can head out. My treat."

"Thanks partner."

...

"MAMA!" Scarlett ran to the door when she saw her mother appear.

"Hi sweetheart." She picked her up and gave her a big hug. "I missed you so much. Were you good for your Nanny?"

"She was as good as gold, like she usually is" Hattie replied. "We had fun, didn't we baby?"

Scarlett nodded her head. "Yep! And I good girl and go night-night when Nanny said!"

"Well I'm glad" Eddie replied giving her a kiss on the forehead. "Go get your stuff so we can go home." She laughed watching Scarlett run into the bedroom.

Hattie came up and engulfed Eddie into a big hug. "I'm glad that you're home safe. So.. how was it?"

"It was eventful. We lost an officer unfortunately" Eddie said dejected. "Gunshot wound."

"I'm so sorry baby. That must have been tough to see."

"Yeah. Fortunately, I have a great TO who was really helpful. He said it never gets easier to see but you learn how to deal with it better."

"What's a TO?" Hattie replied confused.

Eddie laughed.

"Training Officer."

"Does this training officer have a name?"

"Yeah his name is Jamie Reagan." Hattie gave a mischievous smirk.

"Hattie... Hattie... no! He's my TO!"

"I know baby but I'm pretty sure he's a handsome fellow. And you've been out of the dating game for awhile now."

"Gosh Hattie, you're always trying to set me up! I will admit that he's pretty cute but it will never happen."

"You never know!"

Eddie comically rubbed her forehead. "Oh my gosh."

Hattie just looked at her and laughed.

...

_Little details about the story: I have Eddie at 26, Jamie at 30 and Scarlett of course is 2. Eddie lives in Queens as mentioned and Jamie in Brooklyn Heights._

_Hi guys! Another story so soon after my last one. Please let me know what you think. Is this something you would like to see continued? _


	2. Chapter2

Based off of 4x08 with a different twist

...

_Ring.Ring._

Eddie pulled out her phone while Jamie placed the perp in the back of the car.

"Hey! I might be delayed at work. I'll call you." She hung up and looked back to see Jamie leaning back against the RMP watching her.

"You got a date?" he said with his arms crossed.

"He's the instructor that teaches the mommy and me yoga class that I go to with Scarlett" she replied.

"Where are you going on this first date?" Jamie said comically shaking his head.

"Well no where because someone decided to make a felony arrest 10 minutes before end of tour."

"Tell you what? I'll take the collar and do the paperwork."

"Really?"

"Really" Jamie replied sincerely.

Eddie smiled up at him. "Thanks!" She got into the passengers side of the patrol car.

"Does this guy know your a cop?" he said leaning into the window.

"Come on sport, it's a real romance killer."

"Chicks like dating cops right?"

"No, No, No. Chicks like dating firefighters!" she said with emphasis. "You ever see a beefcake calendar with the NYPD!? You don't."

"Maybe I'll start one." He puffed out his chest and walked to the drivers side of the car. Eddie shook her head while rolling her eyes.

...

"Why mama not here Nanny?" Scarlett asked the next morning. "I miss mama."

"I know baby" Hattie replied while cleaning up breakfast. She hadn't heard from Eddie since the night before and was getting very worried. It wasn't like her to not call or text if she was gonna be late to pick up Scarlett. She was happy that Eddie was getting back out there and going on dates but always had a bad feeling about the guy that she went out with.

"You know what?" Hattie looked down over at the time and saw it was almost 10 a.m. "Let's take a little trip Miss Scarlett. Go get your shoes on."

...

Jamie walked into the precinct to find that Eddie had called in sick. The only other time that she had missed work is when Scarlett had woken up with a fever. She had seemed perfectly fine the day before, laughing and joking with him like she usually did.

When he radioed in to take his lunch, he decided to take a detour to Queens to check in on Eddie. He walked into her building and walked up to the third floor to get to her apartment.

_Knock. Knock. _

No answer.

"Hey Eddie. Open up" he said knocking on the door. He knocked on the door for a few more minutes but there was no answer. He called her and left a voicemail.

"Hey Eddie, I came by your place to check up on you. Please call me back as soon a you gets this."

Jamie stood there a little frustrated with not hearing from Eddie.

"Hey! Who are you looking for?" He looked down the hallway to see an older woman approaching him.

"Um... Eddie Janko. Have you seen her?"

"Oh yeah! I saw her walking out of her place with her daughter and Hattie. She didn't look too good."

"What do you mean?"

"She had bruises on her face and was limping a little."

"Do you know where they went?" Jamie asked in a panic.

"I assume they went to Hattie's apartment. She lives in the Moda building. I think on the second floor."

"Thank you so much!" Jamie jogged down the hallway hoping they would be there.

...

_Knock. Knock_

Hattie looked at the door a little surprised. She wasn't expecting any visitors.

"Wait right here baby" she said to Scarlett. Eddie was in the bedroom sleeping. "Remember to be quiet because Mama isn't feeling too good."

"I will Nanny."

She walked over to the door and opened it to find a young police officer.

"Can I help you?" she said curiously.

"Uh... yes ma'am. Are you Ms. Hattie?"

"Yes sir I am."

"I'm Eddie's partner Jamie. I've been looking for her all day. Is she here?"

"Oh, you're the Jamie she always talks about." She reached out and shook his hand. "Yeah she's here. She's sleeping in the room right now. Come on in sweetheart."

Jamie walked in and looked around the small apartment. It definitely had a grandmother's touch and felt very homey.

"You have a very lovely home."

"Thank you. Come sit down. I'm about to make some lunch." He sat down at the bar and watched Hattie cook.

"What happened to Eddie? I went by her apartment and one of her neighbors said that she had bruises and was limping. I've been trying to call her but she hasn't answered."

Hattie looked around and lowered her voice. "I was really worried so baby girl and I went over to check on her. She'll always call or text me if she's gonna be late picking up Scarlett. We walked in and the place was trashed. I could see light from the bathroom so I made Scarlett stay back so I could walk in. Then..." She looked down and wiped a tear. Jamie reached out and squeezed her arm to encourage her to continue.

"Eddie was laying in the bathtub so bruised. She didn't even recognize me. I had to help her get up because she couldn't even move."

"Did you take her to the hospital? Did you call the police?"

"I tried. I promise you I did but that girl is stubborn. Kept saying no and just wanted to come here and sleep. I used to be a nurse so I check her out myself but I still want take her to see a doctor at some point."

"Nanny!" Scarlett whispered loudly as she ran out of the bedroom. "Mama still seeping with da bruises! We have to be quiet so she rest!"

The toddler stopped short when she saw Jamie sitting at the bar.

"Come here sweetheart. Say hi to Mr. Jamie. He works with your mama."

She walked over and looked up at Jamie curiously. "You police like mama?"

"Yes I am." He smiled and stood up to bent down at her level. "I'm Jamie. What's your name?"

"My name Scarlett. I two! I take care of mama so she get better again and not have more bruises!"

"That's so nice of you. You're doing a great job!" Scarlett smiled proudly and ran off to play in the living room.

"She's such a cute kid. Eddie talks about her all the time."

Hattie smiled as she watched Scarlett. "She's a whirlwind like her mama but definitely keeps me on my toes."

Jamie looked down at his watch and sighed. "It looks like I have to get back to work."

"You can stop by later if you want Jamie. I'm positive that we won't be heading anywhere."

"Oh thank you so much. I'll definitely be back. I want to talk to her myself." He looked over at Scarlett and waved.

"Bye Scarlett!"

She looked up and gave him a toothy smile. "Bye Mr. a'mie! Have a good day!"

"You too." He smiled at Hattie and walked out of the apartment.

...

_Thank you guys so much for the positive comments! I've decided to take some of the Jamko storylines from the show and incorporate them into this story. What storylines would you like to see? If have an idea of your own, please comment! _

_The 4x08 storyline will be continued and finished in the next chapter! Feedback is greatly appreciated!_


	3. Chapter3

Eddie woke up with a pounding headache. Her body hurt, her mind hurt, and her soul was crushed. She had just experienced a night from hell. All she remembers is waking up in the bathtub with Hattie standing over her. She thought Bradley was a good guy. Always so nice to her and Scarlett every time they went to class. She couldn't have been more wrong.

"Hey sweetheart." She looked over to see Hattie standing in the doorway. "How're you feeling baby?"

"Horrible... embarrassed... ashamed" she replied as she looked up at the ceiling.

"What do you mean baby? What are you ashamed about?""

"I should've seen it coming. I'm a cop."

"Sweetheart." Hattie sat down on the bed and put a hand on her leg. "You didn't do this to yourself. There's nothing to be ashamed about."

"Yeah..." Eddie trailed off. "Where's Scarlett?" she said changing the subject.

"Napping on the couch. Your partner came by looking for you."

"What? Why?"

"He was worried about you. The poor boy looked so panicked when I opened the door. He should be coming by later. Come on, let's get you something to eat." Hattie held out her hand to help Eddie stand up.

...

Jamie was finally making his way out of the precinct after a long day. He was originally suppose to get off of work at 7 but ended up having to stay late. He wondered if he should still go to Hattie's because it was getting late and they were probably getting ready to go to sleep.

_Ring. Ring._

He pulled out his phone and was surprised to see Eddie calling.

"Hello?"

"Hey" she said in a soft voice. Anytime Eddie would call him, she would sound very lively, upbeat, and usually with some commentary by Scarlett in the background. Now, she sounded broken and just exhausted.

"Hey partner. How are you feeling?"

"Honestly... I don't even know" she chuckled dryly. "Hattie told me you came over earlier. I'll be okay Jamie."

"I would feel better if I saw you for myself. Do you mind if I come over right now? I just got off of work. I wouldn't be interrupting Scarlett's bedtime, would I?"

Eddie smiled. "No, it's fine. It's Saturday. I let her stay up a little later on the weekends. Have you eaten? Hattie made a little extra just in case you came by."

"No, not yet." He smiled at the older woman's kindness. "I'll be there soon."

"Alright, see you partner."

...

_Knock. Knock._

"Nanny! Mama! Someone here!" Scarlett announced.

"I hear the door little missy. Use your inside voice please."

"Yes Nanny. I sorry."

"It's alright."

Hattie opened the door delighted to see that Jamie came back. "Oh Jamie! Hi sweetheart. Come on in!" He smiled politely and stepped in.

"Oh hi Mr. 'amie!" Scarlett put down her toy and walked over to him. "You come back to my Nanny house!"

"I sure did!" He smiled at the chatty toddler.

"You hungry baby?" Hattie asked. "I still have a lot of food on the stove."

"Oh yes please." His mouth watered as he spotted the delicious spread.

"Alright. Scarlett, you get a plate and a cup for Mr. Jamie and I'll get your mama. I think she's almost out of the shower."

"I got it Nanny!"

Hattie walked into the bedroom while Scarlett walked over and opened the cabinet that she could reach.

"So Mr. 'aime, you like a Woody or Elsa?" Jamie looked over and chuckled as Scarlett held up the two cups with the characters so he could choose.

"I'm more of a Woody type of guy." Scarlett smiled and placed the cup on the table.

"And plate?" She held up two plates of the same characters.

"Woody again sweetheart. Thank you so much."

"My pweasure! I go get my Mama and Nanny." She ran off to the bedroom and came back just with Eddie in tow.

"Mr. 'aime here Mama! I go play with Nanny now." Jamie watched her run off and then looked at Eddie.

"Hey partner" Jamie said softly.

"Hey." She chuckled when she spotted the plate and cup on the table. "I see that Scarlett got you a plate and cup from her own collection."

"Yeah." He smiled. "It was between Woody or Elsa. I told her that I was more of a Woody type of guy."

She chuckled at the toddlers antics then looked over at the stove. "Serve yourself. I'm sure your hungry."

"Thanks." He stood up and served himself to all the delicious food.

"Water Jamie?"

"Yeah that's fine. Thank you." Eddie poured him a glass and then walked over and sat beside him.

"How was work?" she said trying to avoid the elephant in the room.

"It was fine. Same old stuff. Sorry I'm here so late. Got stuck with a collar last minute."

"I told you it was fine Jamie. Hattie's gonna put her down in a second."

Jamie put his fork down and looked over at her. "How're doing Eddie? Honestly."

"I don't know Jamie."

"Did you report it?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Do you think I want everyone to know that this man pushed me, groped me, and punched me. It took every bit of me to get away from him."

"Eddie, you need to report this so this son of a bitch can be put away for good."

"I want to forget about this Reagan. I just want it to go away."

"Who was this guy Eddie?" She looked down and away from him. "Eddie please. I want to help."

"His name is Bradley" she said in a whisper. "He's the instructor for the mommy and me yoga class that I go to with Scarlett. It was only our third class when he asked me out. I thought he was a great guy... I was so wrong."

"Please report this Eddie. You need too."

"I know there are people who think I shouldn't have this job. And for them to find out that this happend. It's humiliating" she choked out.

"You won't be alone. I'll be here with you every step of the way."

She reached over and wrapped her arms around his neck to hug him.

"Thank you."

...

_A couple of weeks later..._

"Okay Janko" Jamie said as he got into the drivers seat of the patrol car. "Where are we going for lunch?"

"Finally! I thought you'd never ask. I want Grimaldi's pizza!"

He looked over at her and smiled. "Coming right up."

It had been a couple of months since the whole incident with Bradley. Eddie finally agreed to report it and they were able to arrest Bradley themselves. He had found an ally in Hattie and frequented her apartment so he could check in and get updates on Eddie. Also to get some of her delicious food that she always sent him home with. Slowly but surely Eddie was starting to be her normal self again.

"You busy this weekend Reagan?"

"No, I don't have anything going on."

"Scarlett has been asking about you for awhile so I was wondering if you wanted to go to the zoo with us? I totally understand if you don't want too."

He looked over at her and smiled. "I'd love to go. Haven't been since I was a kid."

"Great! It's a date!" She stopped and realized what she said. "Wait... not a date... uh.. you know what I mean" she said all flustered.

"Eddie, Eddie." He smiled and put a hand on her arm. "Relax. I understand what you mean."

He chuckled as she rubbed her cheeks to try and get the blush to go away.

...

_Thank you so much to everyone for your wonderful comments and loving this story so far. I'm really enjoying putting it together! _


	4. Chapter4

Jamie had been waiting in front of the Bronx Zoo entrance in the frigid cold for over twenty minutes. He didn't know why he was kind of nervous about this outing. Ever since the whole incident with Bradley, he and Eddie kept in touch more outside of work than they usually did. His feelings about her were changing into something he didn't know how to describe. He really didn't even know what it was.

"Hey!" Jamie's head snapped up to see Eddie and a bundled up Scarlett heading towards him. Eddie had covered her up in so many layers that she was waddling fast trying to keep up with her mom. It was adorable.

"Hey guys!" He bent down and gave Scarlett a hug which she promptly tried to return.

"Sorry we're late. It was insane to get here."

"It's alright. Are you ladies ready?"

Scarlett raised her little fist and cheered. "I ready! Let's go!"

Jamie walked in behind the mother-daughter duo and grabbed a map.

"Ok, what way should we go first?" he asked the two of them.

Scarlett looked around trying to decide. "Uh... that way!" she pointed excitedly.

"Okay, let's go." The zoo wasn't very crowded due to how cold it was so none of the enclosures had too many people. Jamie and Eddie walked behind Scarlett who was very determined to lead the way.

"Thanks for coming with us Jamie. I know you didn't have to do this."

"I was more than happy to come. I don't get to hang out with her besides when Hattie drops her off at the 12th. She's really a great kid Eddie. You've done awesome with her."

Eddie smiled proudly at Scarlett and then at Jamie. "Thanks partner. I really appreciate it."

"Mama! Mr. 'amie! Look! Da lions!" They looked to see Scarlett excitedly standing at the enclosure looking at the lions.

"It's like Lion King!"

Jamie looked over at Eddie. "Go stand beside her so I can take a picture of the two of you."

She smiled then walked over.

"Okay you two. On three. Ready. 1,2,3!"

He took the picture and loved the result. Eddie had Scarlett pulled into her front and the two of them were giving the biggest smiles that they could.

"This is a great one. I'll send it to you."

...

Two hundred twenty-five photos later (many taken by Scarlett), they were riding the Wild Asia monorail to end the day. The toddler had endless energy but not even five minutes into the ride, she passed out cold slumped onto Jamie's lap.

"Looks like this kid had a heck of day" Jamie said as he put his arm over her.

"Definitely." Eddie replied. "She had a great time. Maybe in the summer, you could come with me, Scarlett and Hattie to the beach. We do it every year. Scarlett has always been a water baby." Eddie stopped and wondered how she became so bold.

"Sounds like fun. We should definitely make a trip. The last time I went is when my brother's boys were little. I miss those days" he looked down at Scarlett fondly.

"Then you'll definitely have to come with us."

The ride ended then Jamie picked up the little girl and put her on his shoulder. The trio walked to the entrance of the zoo.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow partner." She held out her arms so he could hand her Scarlett.

"It's a long way back to your place Eddie. I'll carry her for you."

"You don't have to do that Jamie. I'll be fine." He gave her a pleading look in which she caved.

"Okay fine. Just this once." He smiled and they took off to get back to Eddie's Queens apartment.

...

"So how was it?" Hattie asked. They usually had dinner with her once or twice a week.

"It's was cold. But we had a great time. She was dragging Jamie and I all over the zoo."

"I bet she was. That Jamie of yours is always a gentleman. Always stops by here when he's around."

"He's not _my Jamie. _He can't cook any better than I can and he always raves about your food."

"He could definitely be a potential suitor for you in the future." Eddie gave her a look.

"I didn't say now! I said future!" Hattie put down her fork and looked at Eddie.

"Baby, listen to me. You've dated a few guys since Scarlett was born but tell me this. Did any of them agree to go with you _and Scarlett_ to the zoo? Or did they just want you."

"But we're not dating."

"I know that. Do you think any thirty-something year old guy will just take the day to go with his work partner and her daughter to the zoo."

Eddie just looked down.

"I'm not saying anything needs to happen right now. Or even a year from now. But that Jamie... I think he's something special."

...

"Hey kid! Open up!" Danny stood knocking on Jamie's apartment door.

"I'm coming!" Jamie opened the door to Danny shoving the pizza in his hands.

"You take forever kid." He walked in putting the beer on the counter. "So how's it been? I haven't seen you in a bit."

"Yeah I've been busy with work."

"How's the rookie you've been working with? Eddie right?"

"Yeah her name is Eddie. She's been doing great. I haven't had any problems with her."

"That's good. Anything else? You have this look on your face like you really want to tell me something."

"Well... I don't know Danny. Something just feels different with her."

Danny turned and looked at Jamie intriguied. "Different how? In a bad way?"

"No, not at all" he replied. "We've been hanging out a little more after work."

"Well there's nothing wrong with that. But remember that she's your partner."

"Of course I know that" he said defensively.

Danny looked at him and then his expression grew. "You have feelings for her don't you? You love her."

"The feelings are there Danny but they're not grown up yet. I don't love her yet. I care about her... a lot. And her daughter too."

"She has a daughter?" Jamie nodded.

"Ah." Danny ran a hand through his hair.

"Is that a bad thing?" Jamie asked.

"No! Not at all. It's different when a kid is already in the picture. Have you met her?"

"Yeah. She gets dropped off at the precinct sometimes by her Nanny on days that Eddie can't go get her. She's a great little girl. I actually went to the zoo with them this past weekend. We had a great time." Jamie smiled at the memory.

"I'm glad. Well... you know if you want to pursue something with her then one of you have to transfer."

"I know."

"My suggestion is to get to know her more. And her baby too. Then see where you want to take things. You don't want to get together, her daughter get close to you, then break up. It wouldn't be fair to any of you. Especially the little girl."

"I know."

"I know you'll use good judgment and make the best decision. We don't call you Harvard for nothing."

"Thanks Danny."

...

_Nothing's gonna happen between Jamie and Eddie romantically just yet. There's still more things that need to happen before they get to that point. _


	5. Authorsnote!

NOT AN UPDATE! I meant to put this on the end notes of my last chapter.

I'm also taking one shot requests! If you have any ideas, please send them my way. I have a few days off and plan to work on this story and some one shots! So please send them to me!!


	6. Chapter5

"Why would Sarge want to talk to us?" Eddie said in a panic. They were heading to get dressed after a long day on patrol when Renzulli said he need to speak with both of them.

"I don't know Janko" he replied. He was kind of nervous too. Jamie racked his brain trying to think of all the reasons that he would need to speak with the both of them. He knew that it was a long shot but maybe he spotted him out with Eddie, Scarlett, and sometimes Hattie. Nothing has happened romantically with them but maybe he saw something that they didn't see. Maybe it wasn't right for him to spend a lot of time with them off duty.

They walked up to the door and Jamie knocked.

"Come in and shut the door."

"Is everything okay boss?" Jamie asked nervously.

He looked at the two of them for a minute then picked up the phone.

"They're here" he said to the other person on the line then hung up.

"Sit down. They'll be in here in a minute."

He stood up from his desk and walked out of the room.

"Okay, now I'm really nervous" Eddie said.

"Not gonna lie. I am too" he replied.

A couple of minutes later, the door quickly opened to reveal a certain Commissioner Reagan accompanied by his detail with two other suited men.

Jamie and Eddie quickly stood at attention.

"As you were." They both relaxed.

"These two are Detectives Johnson and Watts from the FBI" Frank said as he gestured to the two men beside him. "They will explain everything you need to know."

"Okay officers" Detective Watts started. "We have an undercover case that we need two officers like yourselves."

Jamie looked over to see Eddie's eyes shine in excitement.

"What's the case?" Jamie asked.

"We have some very suspicious activity occurring at the Rainbow Room in the city. For the last six months, we have a very strong feeling that there's some illegal business deals going down from inside the restaurant. It's like the headquarters where everyone will meet. We don't know what the deals consist of so that's where the two of you come in."

"We want the two of you to go in as a married couple" Detective Johnson added. "Go in, make friends, and get involved."

"How long would this last?" Eddie asked.

"At least the next three months." Her face fell.

"Officer Janko" Frank chimed in. "We know you have a young daughter. I understand if you don't want to take the case. No hard feelings at all. We would just send Officer Reagan in with someone else. We chose the two of you because of your amazing record here at the 12th."

"Would I be able to go home?" Eddie asked. "Or would I have to stay at somewhere else? My daughter's only two. She has her Nanny but I can't be away from her that long."

"You wouldn't be able to go home for the three months. We would like you and Officer Reagan to stay at an apartment in the city. We don't want either of you to get tailed home and they find out where you really live. I want you to go home and think about it. Talk it over with family then come back to me. I need an answer by Monday."

"Yes sir. Thank you commissioner."

...

Eddie had went to pick up Scarlett from Hattie's then went home to find Jamie at her door with some dinner for the three of them. They had walked out of Renzulli's office with a lot to think about. Especially Eddie.

"This is a really great opportunity Jamie. But I don't know." She looked over to see Scarlett hunched over her stuffed animals fast asleep. "I really want to do it but I can't leave her for that long. I just can't."

"I totally understand Eddie. You don't have to do it. I'll go in with someone else. It's fine."

"I don't want to do it but then I think of all the amazing things this could lead into." She looked down in thought. "Wait, I know this is a crazy thing to ask. Is there anyway Scarlett could be with us in the apartment? Hattie too?"

Jamie looked at her confused.

"Is there someway we could arrange for Scarlett and Hattie to stay somewhere close to us? If they can't be with us, then I want them to stay close so I can at least visit them."

"It's honestly not a bad idea. Let me go and talk to my dad to see what he says."

"Thanks Jamie."

...

The next morning, Eddie made her way over to Hattie's apartment to get her opinion.

"Undercover?" she asked.

"Yeah. I'm not allowed to say much but if I do it then I'd have to be away for 3 months. Jamie and I would have to stay in an apartment. To pull the married look off."

"Wow."

"Should I do it? I told Jamie that the only way I would do it is if they would be able to accommodate you and Scarlett so I'd still be able to see you guys. I can't stay away from my baby that long. I just can't."

"You should do it baby. It's a great opportunity for you. Overall, it's your decision but I think you should do it. Don't worry about baby girl. She'll be just fine."

"Okay. If they say no about being able to see you guys then I'm not doing it."

"Alright."

...

_Knock. Knock._

The door opened to reveal Baker.

"Sir, your son is here. Jamie."

"Send him in."

Jamie walked in and sat in front of him.

"Hey dad."

"You okay son? You never ask to come see me here."

"I'm fine. I just needed to talk to you."

"Okay shoot."

"Eddie wants to know if there's any way that you'd be able to accommodate her daughter and her Nanny so she'd still be able to see them. That's the only way she'll do it. It's a great opportunity for her and she knows it. She really wants to do it but her daughter is only two. She doesn't want to be away from her that long."

Frank looked down pensively. He grabbed a file and rummaged through the paperwork.

"I think we'd be able to pull that off. I don't see why not. We have an apartment at 21 WEA. We'll get another one but on a different floor where her daughter and her Nanny can stay. Eddie can go and see them whenever she wants."

"Thanks dad."

"No problem son. I've read her record and she's done very well. She was the first officer I thought of for this assignment. I usually wouldn't do something like this but I understand that she's young and a single mom. Let her know and Monday we can go through all the details of the assignment."

"I will."

...

Jamie got into his car and called Eddie.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Hey Eddie. I just got back from talking to my dad."

"Really?" she replied nervously. "What's he say?"

"He said he could make it happen. We have an apartment at 21 WEA. He said he'd get another apartment for Scarlett and Hattie to stay in but on a different floor."

"21 WEA? That's fancy. But I'm glad he said yes. I really didn't want to say no. Thank you so much Jamie."

"No problem Janko. Monday we go in for the rest of the details. We have the day off so I'll go pick you up."

"Alright. See you Monday."

"See you Monday."

...

_Things are taking an interesting turn. Next chapter, they get briefed and make their move into the city!_


	7. Chapter6

"Officers welcome." Jamie and Eddie walked into a conference room at the FBI headquarters in Manhattan early Monday morning. Once they confirmed that they would do the assignment, things started moving at a quick pace.

Detectives Johnson and Watts shook their hands from across the table and handed them each a file. "These are your new identities for the next three months."

They opened their files eagerly and began to scan through them.

_James Richardson, 32 years old. Married to Emely Richardson for 3 years. Investment Banker at Bank of America in New York City. _

_Emely Richardson, 28 years old. Married to James Richardson for 3 years. Real Estate Agent at The Corcoran Group in New York City. _

Detective Watts watched as they looked through their files and spoke up. "There's almost 10 pages of backstory for each of you. Get very familiar with this. This will be your new lives for now."

"Officer Janko" Detective Johnson spoke up. "We made the necessary arrangements for your daughter and her Nanny. The apartment for the two of you will be on the 10th floor and there's will be up on the 15th. Both apartments have two bedrooms, two bathrooms, kitchen and living area. Are they aware of what's going to happen?"

"Yes" she replied. "I already sat down and talked with Hattie and she's aware. She just knows that it's for some undercover work. I didn't explain any details. My daughter just thinks it's going to be a vacation in the city."

"Good. 21 WEA has a pool. We chose it with your daughter in mind and since the summer is quickly approaching. On some days, we'll have some activities for them to attend so they won't be confined inside."

Eddie smiled. "Thank you for that."

"Also, it's perfectly fine for your daughter to go and sleep with you or you with her. The only time that she'll need to be away is if you and Officer Reagan host some of the other people or couples you meet. If you want to go out and do any activities with her then make sure it's outside of the city.

Jamie and Eddie nodded.

"Go home and study up. You will move in on Thursday morning. Assignment starts Friday morning."

...

"Nanny! This cool!" Hattie and Scarlett were supervising while the movers placed the boxes inside their new apartment.

"Yeah baby." She looked around the apartment in amazement. It was a big change from her modest one bedroom in Queens. It wasn't gonna be hers permanently so she was going to enjoy it while it lasted.

"That should be the last of it Ms. Hattie."

"Thank you boys very much. Say thank you Scarlett."

"Tank you!"

They smiled and left the apartment.

Scarlett looked up and flashed a big smile at her beloved Nanny.

"So baby girl" she asked the toddler. "What should we do right now?"

"Pool Nanny!"

"Go and put your swimmies on baby! I'll grab the rest and we'll go up to the pool!"

Scarlett ran as fast as her little legs would go into her new room to get dressed.

...

"So Reagan" Eddie said as she put down a box. "Looks like this is our life for now. I'm kind of liking it."

"Me too." Jamie looked around the apartment. "We could fit both of our apartments in this place. Hattie's too."

Eddie laughed. "Probably so."

"Where are they by the way? They moved in this morning too, didn't they?"

"Yeah they did. Hattie had the movers help them unpack too. She texted me and they're out by the pool right now."

"That's good. I'm glad they thought about her when they picked this place."

"Me too. I was worried that she'd drive Hattie up the wall."

"Let's go out to the pool with them for a little bit Janko. Have some fun before this craziness starts."

"Good idea! I'll go get dressed."

...

Twenty minutes later, they made it out to the pool. They walked over to see Hattie and Scarlett floating around the pool.

"Hi my dears!"

"Mama! Mr. 'amie! We in pool!"

"I see that baby! You're doing great!"

"Get in Mama please!"

"Come on Hattie" Eddie said. "I'll take over from here."

Hattie got out then she got in with Scarlett.

"Come on son" she said to Jamie. "Come and keep me company while those babies play."

They went and sat in the lounge chairs at the side of the pool and watched Eddie and Scarlett.

"She thinks the world of you" she said to Jamie. " Scarlett I mean. It's always Mr. 'aime this and Mr. 'amie that. Always asking Eddie about you."

Jamie smiled at the older woman. "I love that little girl. It's been a long time since my niece and nephews were that small so I always enjoy spending time with her."

"I've gotten to know you for awhile now. I see you as one of my own. I need the two of you to come back safe. Please stay safe. Keep my Eddie safe. Make sure she comes back to that little girl."

Jamie nodded. "I will. I promise."

"Thank you baby." She wrapped her arms around Jamie in a motherly hug. It reminded him of the times that his grandma Betty would hug him so he savored it.

"Mr. 'aime!!" They looked over to see Scarlett waving her hands wildly from the pool with Eddie. "Come play with me and Mama! Pwease!"

Hattie smiled at him. "Go and play with that little girl. She's gonna watch you like a hawk until you go over."

Jamie smiled then walked over and jumped in splashing Eddie and Scarlett in the process.

"Mr. 'aime!" Scarlett said with a loud laugh. She reached over and jumped on his back. "You a shark now! Swim!"

He started to swim around with Scarlett laughing in delight. Eddie smiled as she watched the two of them have a good time.

...

It was nearing 6 o'clock by the time the trio got out of the pool. They had some dinner poolside then Scarlett went straight to sleep afterwards.

"I'm so tired" Eddie said as she carried the sleeping toddler. "But I'm very glad we did that. I needed it."

"Me too" he replied with a smile.

"I'm gonna go bathe her and leave her with Hattie since we have to leave early."

"Yeah that's a good idea. You have your key right?"

"Yep. I'm sure you'll be asleep by the time I get back down there. G' night partner" she said with a smile.

"Goodnight."

...

_Next chapter: the assignment begins! _

_Please review and enjoy!_


	8. Chapter7

"Hello Mrs. Richardson, I'm Dale Spier, President of the Corcoran Group. I would just like to welcome you to our family."

"Thank you, I'm very happy to be here."

"If you'll follow me, I'll lead you over to your new office." The two walked down a long corridor passing desks and offices of other colleagues.

"So Mrs. Richardson-," Dale began.

"You can call me Emely. I don't mind."

"Okay Emely" he said with a smile. "How long have you been in real estate?"

"For over four years now. My husband and I just moved from Buffalo a couple of days ago. We've wanted to live in the city for awhile now."

"That's great. I hope you guys like it. I've lived here my whole life and I have no complaints. And it looks like this is your office."

Eddie walked in and looked around in amazement. The office had an amazing view of the city skyline. It was twice the size of Eddie's bedroom at her apartment in Queens.

"This is amazing. I love the view."

"I'm glad." He stepped up behind her a little to close for comfort. She stepped away putting space between them.

"I'll be right back. I think you should meet someone." Dale walked out of the room giving Eddie an extra look.

He came back in the room with a much younger man who looked about Jamie's age.

"Emely, this is Jason Matthews. He's been here for almost 10 years. If you have any questions or need any help, just ask him and he will happily help you."

"It's very nice to meet you Mrs. Richardson. I'm here if you need me. My office is 106. It's just down the hall to the right."

"Thank you very much" Eddie said with a smile.

"Your first assignment should be on your desk and already on the computer" Dale said. "It's an townhouse in midtown that we've been trying to sale for over a year now. Many people have tried but none have been able to. I've reviewed your sales from your previous employer and I was very impressed. I'm sure you can handle this one."

"I definitely can" she replied.

"Good. Jason and I will leave you alone so you can get to work." He shook her hand a little too long if you ask her.

"If you need me" Jason said. "Don't hesitate to come and get me. I'll be happy to help you."

"I will. Thank you very much."

...

"How are you liking it here so far?" Jamie looked up and desperately wanted to roll his eyes. Donna Hyland had been all over him since he walked in the door at Bank of America that morning. She was assigned to be his adviser if he needed help with anything. He had told her many times that he was married but she wasn't getting the hint.

"Its going really well. Thank you for all your help so far."

"No problem." She leaned over his desk trying to get him to notice her cleavage a little more. Jamie just kept his eyes straight on the computer screen. Donna saw that he wasn't paying her any attention so she walked away in a huff.

_Finally, _Jamie thought to himself.

"Hey man! How's it going?" He turned around to see Brian Tucker approaching him. The man had been very nice to Jamie and had grown some confidence with him even though they hadn't known each other for long.

"Hey! It's going good. Just having a little trouble with some of these forms."

"Let me look..Oh yeah! I'll explain these to you in a second. I wanted to ask you if you and your lady wanted to come have dinner with my wife and I tomorrow night at the Rainbow Room."

Jamie smiled and nodded. "That'd be great. I'd have to see what her schedule is because she just started her new job today but I'm sure she'll say yes."

"Awesome! See what your lady says and let me know."

"I will. Thanks man."

...

Eddie pulled up at the 21 WEA apartments around 6:00 that evening. She stepped out of the Uber and removed her high heels from her red and swollen feet. The long day at the office made her realize why she liked being a cop so much better.

She made it up to their floor and walked into the apartment.

"Hello? Jamie? Are you here?"

"Hi mama!" Scarlett came running out of her bedroom with Jamie right behind her.

"Oh hi baby!" She dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around the energetic toddler. She had really missed her today. "Were you a good girl today?"

"Yeah! Me and Nanny went to park! So fun mama!"

"I'm glad you had a great time!" She looked over at Jamie a little confused. "How'd she make it over here? Where's Hattie?"

"Hattie's relaxing back in the apartment. I decided to go check on her and brought her over here to give Hattie a break."

"Oh." She looked up and smiled. "Thank you for that."

"No problem."

"I'm gonna go change. These clothes were so uncomfortable!"

Jamie smiled. "Go ahead. I picked up something for dinner already. I already took some to Hattie. Maybe tomorrow we can go pick up some groceries because we can only eat out for so long."

"Sounds like a plan Reagan."

...

"Really? You need to be careful with a guy like that Eddie." She had explained to him what had happened at work with Dale getting a little too close and reappearing several times during the day. " I didn't get the creeps from Jason. He was really nice and just wanted to help me. Dale was-," she shivered. "Just a little creepy."

"See if you can get some information from Jason about Dale. With him being there for 10 years he has to know some things."

"I am. I'm actually meeting him for coffee Monday morning before work so he can help me with a sale. I'll see what I can get out of him. How was your day?"

"Long." He leaned back against the couch and sighed for dramatic effect. "My adviser Donna was all over me. She wouldn't leave me alone for anything. She finally went away when I wouldn't pay attention to her."

"Dang."

"Yeah. But I have some good news. Another guy from the office, Brian Tucker, invited us to dinner at the Rainbow Room."

"That's great Jamie! I thought it would be forever until we even got close to there."

"Me too. I was really surprised when he asked. He seems to trust me so I'll take advantage of it. I'll see what I can get from him."

"Well... since we're gonna go out to dinner with all these fancy people. I need to go shopping for a new dress to match our new lifestyle. So, Emely needs her husband to give up his credit card." She held out her hand jokingly. He just rolled his eyes and pulled out his wallet.

"Well... if you're going shopping then I'm going too. I do need a new suit."

"Good thing this on the FBI and not us. We'd be so broke by now."

"That's for sure."

"Well the real test for us begins tomorrow night champ. I'm going to bed." She picked up one of Scarlett's toys and headed to her room where the little girl was fast asleep. "Goodnight Jamie. Sleep well."

He smiled. "You too."

...

_I'm loving how this story is turning out. I have the next few chapters already planned out so they'll be out accordingly. Please read, review, and enjoy!!_


	9. Chapter8

"What do you think about this one?" Eddie asked. Jamie had been sitting in front of the dressing room for almost an hour waiting on Eddie who was trying on dresses.

"Looks fine" he replied.

"You've said that about all of them. Damn Reagan, you already have this husband thing down." He just smirked and laughed.

"If you want me to honest, I like the grey one the best. I think it looks really great on you."

Eddie blushed and looked at him with a smile. "Thanks. I'll take that one then."

They walked up to the register and paid for the dress.

"Alright, now you" Eddie said to him.

"This will take at least 30 minutes maybe even less" he said as he walked over to the men's section.

_..._

"Oh my gosh Jamie. You are so much worse than me." She banged her head on the wall beside the dressing room that he was in.

"Now you see how I felt while you were trying on dresses! You'll live Janko, you'll live!"

He walked out of the dressing room to show her the newest shirt he was trying on.

"Hey" Eddie said as she looked at him. "That one looks really good Jamie. And it even matches my dress!"

"I'll take this one then."

"And then we can have lunch!"

"Only you would be thinking about the next meal Janko!"

She laughed and shook her head. "Get dressed so we can go eat!"

"Yes ma'am!"

...

Jamie was standing in the kitchen with Hattie while Eddie was getting ready in the room with Scarlett at her side.

"Hattie if you need anything, I'll have my personal phone on me. I would prefer you to text me but if it's an emergency, don't hesitate to call me."

"We'll be fine baby. I'm taking baby girl to the pool after you guys leave to wear her out so she passes out good tonight. Come over here for a second."

Jamie walked over and stood in front of her.

"Let me fix your tie, it's a little crooked." She fixed it for him and smiled. Hattie had become like a mother figure to him. He absolutely loved sitting with the older woman and talking with her for as long as she was willing. She definitely reminded him of his mom and his grandma Betty with the way she would mother over them.

"Alright son." She pulled him in and gave him a tight hug. "Take care of yourself and my Eddie. I got Scarlett."

"You know I will." He pulled away and smiled.

"Alright Janko! You ready yet?"

Scarlett ran out of the room and gave Jamie a stern look.

"No rush mama! She say you wait!"

He held up his hands in defense. "Yes ma'am Miss Scarlett!"

A couple of minutes later, he heard the clink of Eddie's high heels.

"I'm ready. What do you guys think?"

"You look beautiful sweetheart!"

"Mama! You so pwetty!"

They looked over at Jamie to see him just staring at Eddie in a trance.

"Take a picture Reagan, it'll last longer."

"Oh.. sorry. Uh-," He looked up at her and flashed a smile. "You look amazing Eddie."

"Thank you. So I guess we need to go so we're not late." She bent down and gave Scarlett a kiss on the forehead. "You listen to Nanny and be a good girl."

Hattie walked up and gave both of them a hug. "Be careful kids. See you guys tomorrow."

They smiled and walked out to get downstairs where their town car awaited them.

...

"Hey James! Over here man" He walked over to the table holding Eddie's hand. Brian and his wife stood up to greet them.

"Hey man! This is my wife Emely." Eddie smiled and shook both of their hands. "It's really nice to meet you two."

"Likewise. I'm Brian and this is my wife Ashley. Let sit!"

They sat down and settled into their seats.

"So, where are you guys from?"

"We're from Buffalo. We both grew up there but we've wanted to live in the city for quite awhile."

They all sat and chatted for awhile as they drank and ate their food.

"So Emely," Ashley leaned in to talk to Eddie while the Jamie and Brian were chatting. "I go to a ladies night at Pelham Country Club. We meet twice a month. I would love for you to join me. You can get to know some of the other wives."

"Oh." Eddie was surprised by the invitation. "That's sounds great. I'll definitely join you."

"Great. Give me your number before you leave and I'll text you the information."

"Okay" Eddie replied with a smile.

...

"So it's getting late" Brian said a little while later. "We're going to head out. It was lovely to meet you Emely." He walked over and gave Eddie a hug and shook Jamie's hand.

"We should definitely do this again" Eddie said.

"For sure." Brian and Ashley walked out in front of them while Jamie grabbed Eddie's hand and followed.

They waved as Brian and Ashley got in their car and pulled away.

"So that was interesting.." Eddie said.

"Yep" he replied. "Let's wait until we get back to the apartment to discuss everything."

"Alright."

...

"Brian didn't give out much. We just talked about work and the Jets. I saw Ashley talking your ear off. Did she say anything to you that we could use?"

"No but she invited me to a ladies night at a country club in Pelham. Do you think it's worth going?"

"Yeah I think it is. I honestly don't think anything will turn out but you never know."

"Okay. I'll let her know that I'll go. We'll work out at the details when the time comes."

"Alright. What's on the agenda for tomorrow?"

"I'm going to family dinner. You should bring Hattie and Scarlett over here to the apartment for the day and hang out. Go out to the pool or something like that."

"Yeah I'm gonna do that. I've missed my baby over these past couple of days. Well, I'm going to bed Reagan. Good work for us today."

"Yep. Night Janko."

"Goodnight."

...

The next morning, Jamie woke up to the patter of Scarlett's footsteps running around the apartment. He got up and walked into the living room.

"G'morning guys."

"Morning Mr. 'aime! Mama made breakfast!"

"Janko?" He looked at her jokingly. "You actually cook?"

She walked over and punched him in the shoulder. "Yeah Reagan, I actually cook, thank you very much! I'd be broke as hell if I ate out everyday."

He laughed. " It looks really good."

"Thanks. Sit down and eat."

He got a plate and began to serve himself. It had been awhile since he had a home cooked breakfast.

"Besides family dinner, what's your other plans for today?"

"Nothing really. Dinner is at 4."

"You want to go out to the pool?"

"Definitely."

...

"Hey kid." Danny went and sat beside Jamie on the couch after family dinner. "How's everything going with the undercover?"

"Good. Eddie and I went to dinner with one of my colleagues and his wife. It honestly went nowhere besides Eddie getting invited to a ladies night with the guy's wife."

"At least that's something. How're you and Eddie handling things? No problems at all?"

"No. We're not use to sitting at a desk all day everyday so it's definitely an adjustment. But she's doing fine and I am too."

"That's good. You know if you need help with anything just come to me. Baez and I will come hauling ass wherever you need us."

" I know. Thanks Danny."

...

_I know this chapter was boring but there's definitely an interesting plot twist in the next. Stay tuned! _

_Please read and review :)_


	10. Chapter9

Jamie was at work when he got the unexpected phone call.

"Hello? Is this a Mr. Jameson Reagan?"

"Yes it is." He was a little confused because he heard crying that sounded like Scarlett. "May I ask who is calling?"

"I'm Laura, a paramedic from Mount Sinai West. You're listed as a emergency contact for Ms. Hattie Parker. We are on our way to the hospital with her. She had a heart should get to the hospital in 10 minutes. Is the little girl that was with her your daughter? We've tried asking her what her name is but she doesn't really want to talk to us."

Jamie's blood ran cold. Hattie was a relatively healthy woman who kept up with a toddler everyday so the news was shocking to hear.

"Um yeah she is. I'm on my way."

He immediately hopped up from his chair and began gathering his things together.

"Hey James. Where are you going man? What's the rush?" Brian asked.

"Family emergency. I got to go." He rushed out of the room trying to call Eddie.

"Come on Janko, pick up."

_This call has been forwarded to an automated voice messaging system.._

"Damn it!"

* * *

"Hey Emely, do you need help with anything?" Eddie looked up to see Jason at the doorway of her office.

"Oh no, I'm doing good right now. Thanks."

"No problem. Just a heads up, Dale is headed your way in 10 minutes" he said giving her a look.

Jason had become a great friend for Eddie at work. He always checked up on her and they had developed a great rapport. She was basically his work wife.

"Thanks. Do you know why?"

"No idea but tell me what goes down at lunch."

"I will."

* * *

Jamie ran up to the front desk in the emergency room after running five blocks from work. He had been trying to reach Eddie but she wasn't answering.

"Hattie Parker!? Where is she?" he said in a rush. "My daughter was with her. I'm her grandson."

"Oh yes. Ms. Parker was taken into surgery a few minutes ago. Follow me and I'll take you to your daughter."

The nurse led him down a large corridor and into a room near the nurse's station. He walked into the room to find a nurse holding an inconsolable Scarlett.

"Sweetheart" the nurse who was holding her whispered. "Look who's here."

Scarlett turned her head and immediately held her arms out to Jamie who grabbed her.

"Nanny fell down" she cried. "She no okay."

"It's okay honey" he cooed as he rubbed her back. "Everything's gonna be okay."

"Where mama?" she asked while wiping her tears.

"She's on her way."

"Do you know what happened?" he whispered asking the nurses.

"There was a phone call from the 21 WEA apartments about a woman who was having major chest pains. She collapsed in the lobby."

"Oh god." He kissed the side of Scarlett's head realizing how horrified the little girl must have been watching that happen to her beloved Nanny.

"I have to call my wife. She's at work. I've been trying to contact her but she hasn't been answering."

"I'll go get an update for you on how things are going." The nurses walked out leaving Jamie and Scarlett in the room.

"Oh baby girl." He sat down and pulled Scarlett into his lap. "I'm sorry you had to see that." Her cries started to simmer down to whimpers.

"Let me call your mama."

* * *

_Ring._ _Ring._

Eddie picked up the work phone on her desk and answered.

"Yes?"

"Mrs. Richardson, you have a call on line two from your husband."

"Thank you." She transferred the call and waited.

"Emely" Jamie answered.

"Oh hey husband. You never call me on this line" she said suggestively.

"Emely" he said again. "I'm at Mount Sinai West. Hattie had a heart attack."

"Oh no!" she cried. She got up and rushed around grabbing her stuff. "I'm on my way. What about Scarlett? My baby. Is she okay?"

"I'm here with her right now."

"Okay I'm coming."

Jason was watching the whole exchange from his office and got up when Eddie started charging down the hallway towards the elevator in near tears.

"Emely, what happened? Is everything okay?"

"No, I have to get to the hospital! My daughter... her nanny... heart attack." she spilled out hysterically. The elevator opened and she quickly stepped inside.

_Emely never mentioned that they had kids, _Jason thought to himself.

* * *

Jamie moved into the waiting room with Scarlett still in his lap. She had latched onto him ever since he had gotten there and wouldn't let him leave her side for anything.

"Scarlett?" he nudged her gently. "Do you want a snack sweetheart? I know you haven't eaten anything yet."

"No tank you. I no want nothing."

"Come on honey. How about a cheese stick? I know it will make Nanny really happy if you ate something."

"Maybe just one."

"Good girl." He pulled one out of the little lunchbox that she had and gave it to her. She grabbed it and chowed it down quickly.

After awhile, he turned to the ER doors and saw Eddie rushing in. He stood up and waved her over.

"Eddie! Over here."

"Oh god Jamie." She rushed over and hugged him then grabbed Scarlett out of his arms and tightly hugged her.

"Baby, I'm so sorry mama wasn't there. I'm sorry you had to see that." She kissed the top of Scarlett's head and sat down.

"Have you heard anything Jamie?" she asked looking up at him.

"They came out a little while ago and said she was still in. They're thinking that she might be in for another hour or so."

"So I guess it's just a waiting game then."

"Yeah." He sat down and put his arms around both girls. Eddie leaned into him and sighed.

* * *

"Mr. and Mrs. Reagan?" Eddie looked at Jamie confused.

"I might've said that we were married so they'd let me in quicker so I could get to Scarlett. Just go with it Janko" he whispered.

"Yeah that's us" he answered for the both of them. They both stood up.

"I'm Dr. White. I operated on Ms. Parker. Has she ever said anything about her experiencing chest pains or anything like that?"

"From what I can recall, no she hasn't" Eddie answered.

"She has been experiencing very mild signs that can lead to a heart attack since her last doctors appointment. She was given medication for it but it looks like she hasn't been taking it. We put some stents in five clogged arteries. Overall, we were very lucky on this one. She's gonna be fine. She needs to take it easy for the next couple of weeks and start taking care of herself. Make sure she takes her medicine and gets more exercise. After a month, we're going to put her in cardiac rehab to get her back up and running again. A nurse will come out in a few minutes and take you to her."

"Thank you doctor." Jamie and Eddie shook the doctor's hand and sat down.

"Jamie." He looked over at her to see tears in her eyes. "I had no idea. I should've seen it."

"Eddie." He leaned close and put his arm around her. "This is not your fault. You know Hattie hates it when we fuss over her."

"I know. I feel so bad. My baby watched her Nanny fall to the ground in front of her and I wasn't there for Hattie when she needed me the most."

"It's gonna be okay Eddie." He really didn't know what else to say so he leaned back and rubbed Eddie's shoulders while they waited for the nurse to come get them.

* * *

_Please read and review!_


	11. Chapter10

Hattie was finally released after a couple of days in the hospital. They were taken back to Manhattan where Hattie and Scarlett ended up moving into the apartment that Jamie and Eddie had to share. Eddie took a little break from work to be able to be at home with them.

"Sweetheart, you don't have to be here everyday" Hattie said from her place sitting in the recliner. "The nurse is here most of the day."

"I know but I just need to make sure you're okay. And Scarlett is a whirlwind. The nurse can't be watching her too."

"Won't you get in trouble?"

"No. They understood it was a family emergency and I go back tomorrow anyways."

"Well alright."

"Hattie just promise me one thing." She looked over at her with tears in her eyes. "After I go back to work, please take care of yourself. I need you. I can't lose you."

She reached out and grabbed Eddie's hand. "Honey, you're not gonna lose me. I promise that I'll take care of myself more. You're not losing me anytime soon."

"Good."

* * *

Jamie was counting down the hours to go home. He was up to his ears in paperwork and couldn't wait to leave.

"James" he heard in a whisper. He looked up to see Brian waving him over to his desk.

"Yeah?" Jamie said as he approached.

"You busy tonight? No plans with the wife or anything like that?"

"No man. I was just planning on going home."

"Come out with me tonight. Let's go have a few drinks." The way Brian was talking made Jamie very suspicious. He also seemed nervous which made him even more intrigued to know what was going on.

"Alright."

"Meet me at the Red Room at 8:30. Don't be late."

* * *

"Thanks for everything. I'll see you tomorrow." Eddie closed the door after the nurse. It had been an crazy couple of days since Hattie was released and she was quite looking forward to going back to work. Since Hattie and Scarlett had to move in with them, the other apartment was given away so they were kind of jam packed. The apartment only had two bedrooms so Hattie was in one room by herself and Eddie and Scarlett were in the other. Jamie on the other hand, had been on the couch for almost a week without any complaints. _Poor Jamie, _Eddie thought to herself, _he's a trooper._

"Mama?" Scarlett said walking up to her. "Can we go to pool before bed pwease? I be a good girl!"

Eddie smiled sadly at her daughter. Scarlett had been confined inside for almost a week while Jamie and Eddie were attending to Hattie's needs. She was a very active toddler who was always on the go.

"Maybe when Mr. Jamie comes home he can take you. I need to stay with Nanny."

"Yay!" Scarlett said happily clearly satisfied with that answer. "I wait for him!"

An hour later, Jamie walked in tiredly through the door.

"I'm back" he announced softly as he saw Hattie napping in the recliner. He was nearly bowled over by a little girl who had been anticipating his arrival for over an hour.

"Mr. 'amie! You home!" she said excitedly.

"I am! Were you good for your Mama and Nanny?"

"Yep! Can we go to pool pwease? I be a good girl all week."

"I don't see why not. Let me talk to Mama first."

"Oh tank you!" She kissed his cheek and ran off to get her bathing suit.

"What do you need to talk to me about?" Eddie said walking over to him.

He grabbed her arm and led her into the kitchen so a certain pair of little ears wouldn't hear them.

"I'm gonna take munchkin out to the pool for a little bit then I have to go. Brian invited me to the Red Room again but just me and him."

"Did he say why?" she asked.

"No but he seemed really nervous. The way he was acting was so off and unlike him."

"You need to be careful Jamie. I mean you know the guy but not very well. Who knows what he could do. Do you need me to sit outside or something like that?"

"No Janko. You're needed more here. I'll be fine. I told Detective Johnson so him and Watts will be outside just in case. I'll text you if something goes wrong."

"Alright." They looked into the living room to see an impatient little girl tapping her foot with a bathing suit on and a pair of Jamie's Raybans.

"Hold your horses! Let me change and then we'll go!" Jamie ran off to the bedroom with Scarlett charging after him.

* * *

Jamie was waiting at the bar by 8:15 when someone grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Come with me" a deep voice said. He looked back to see a tall man in a dark suit who looked like he could be a bodybuilder.

"What?! Who the hell are you?"

"You don't need to know that. Just know that I'm a friend of Brian's. Now let's go."

The mysterious man led Jamie outside and into a convoy of blacked out Cadillacs in an alley beside the Red Room.

"We have him." The man said into his earpiece. "20 minutes out."

"Can you please explain to me what the hell is going on?!"

"You'll know when we get there." Jamie saw that the man wasn't going to answer anymore questions so he just sat back and shut up.

* * *

Eddie was sitting in the living room after helping Hattie into her bedroom and putting Scarlett down for the night. Jason had been constantly texting her and asking her how she was since she had ran out of work that day. He was genuinely a very sweet guy. If she didn't have to pretend to be married to Jamie, then she would definitely give Jason a chance. Her relationship with Jamie was very undefined and it didn't look like it was gonna be defined anytime soon. She knew that once they stopped playing house that it was gonna be back to business like usual. She didn't want to get her hopes up for something with Jamie when technically it wasn't allowed since they are patrol partners. She would just have to see how the next couple of weeks played out.

* * *

_Things start to get interesting :) Please read and review! Also taking one shot requests and ideas for future stories._

_34 days until Season 10!_


	12. Chapter11

The convoy pulled up at an unknown location that Jamie didn't recognize. He was roughly pulled out of the car and ushered inside a warehouse.

"Hey buddy." Jamie looked over and saw Brian sitting at a table with a bunch of other men.

"What the hell am I doing here?" he asked.

"Take a seat."

Jamie walked up and sat down. Brian looked at him and gave a smug smile.

"This is what I really am. I've been doing this for years now." He looked around the room and gestured to various firearms and drugs. Jamie's eyes widened when he realized the magnitude of what Brian does. "I want you to come and work for me."

"Why me?" he asked.

"I trust you. When you first started at the bank, I thought you were just some dumb nitwit with a fancy degree. Turns out that you're not. You're smart and know what you're talking about. I need someone like you at my side. We could make this bigger than ever."

"What's the catch?"

"Look James, we don't make nearly enough at the bank to keep up with the high life of New York City. Shit's expensive around here. If you work with me, you can have it made. You'll have guaranteed financial security for the rest of your life and for any future Richardsons that you and Emely could have. Many of the guys at work already do deals for me and are living it up. What do you say?"

Jamie sat for a minute and looked like he was really giving it some thought.

"Okay" he replied. "I'm in."

"Good." Brian stood up and shook Jamie's hand. "You will be brought back here on Tuesday. We never speak about this at work. Never. Tell that pretty little wife of yours that I said hello."

* * *

It was nearing 12:30 and Jamie still hadn't returned. Eddie had been trying to call him nonstop but she kept getting his voicemail.

"Come on Jamie. Pick up please."

_Your call has been forwarded..._

"Damn it!" She threw down her phone frustrated. She was grabbing her coat when she heard the keys in the front door.

"Janko?" he whispered as he walked in. "What're you still doing up? We have work tomorrow."

"Oh Jamie!" She ran up and quickly hugged him. "You're okay!"

He awkwardly tried to return the hug. "Yeah I am."

" I got really worried. I kept texting you and calling but you never answered."

"Sorry about that. When I went to the pool with Scarlett, I forgot to charge it so it died when I was at the bar."

"How'd it go? Why are you back so late?"

"Let me go change and you grab us some beer Janko. You need to sit down for this."

Eddie was waiting on the couch (his bed) when he came back from changing.

"Brian's the guy" he started. "He's a major dealer throughout all of New York and Jersey."

"Are you serious?" she replied. "He doesn't look like that type."

"He doesn't look like that type but definitely is that type Eddie. And he knows exactly what he's doing."

"Why did he want to meet with you tonight?"

"He asked me to come work with him. Told me that he trusts me and needs someone like me to help him. I said yes of course."

"What's the plan now Jamie?" she asked.

"We continue like normal. You and I go to work and live our lives the same. I have to go meet him again on Tuesday night. Are you still on with Ashley for that ladies night?"

"Yeah. She's suppose to come pick me up Thursday after I get out of work. I told her that we'd meet in the lobby since Hattie and Scarlett are here."

"Try and gauge to see what she knows. I mean she has to wonder how the hell they can afford what they have but be careful not to pry too much."

"I will." They paused for a minute then Jamie spoke up.

"It's late and we both have to be at work in the morning." He turned and gave her a playful shove. "Get out of my room Janko!"

She got up and smacked his shoulder. "Alright!" she laughed. "Goodnight Jamie."

"Goodnight."

* * *

The next morning, Eddie was back at work. She was up to her eyeballs in paperwork and getting frustrated.

"Hey" she looked up and saw Jason standing at the door. "Do you need help?"

"Please. I don't get any of this." He pulled up a chair in front of her desk and began to help her. After awhile, he spoke up about something that had been bothering him.

"Emely, you never said that you and James had a daughter."

"Uh" she said nervously. "What?"

"The other day when you went off to the hospital. Something about your daughter and her Nanny."

"Oh! I never mentioned it? I thought I did?"

_Damn it, _she thought, _there's no going back on this now. _

"No. You never did."

"Well, our daughter's name is Scarlett. She's two."

"Well she's probably a beautiful girl."

"Thank you."

"It's almost lunch time" he said. "Do you want to eat with me?"

"Not today. I'm actually meeting my husband for lunch."

"Oh alright." He stood up and walked out of the room.

She pulled out her phone and quickly texted Jamie.

_URGENT: Please meet me for lunch! I think I screwed up._

* * *

Jamie immediately bolted from the building when he got Eddie's message. They had agreed to meet back at their building. He picked up a quick order from one of their favorite restaurants and hurried to meet her.

"What's wrong Janko?" he said as he hurried over to her. "You're scaring me."

"I screwed up Jamie."

"What did you do?" he asked gently.

"The other day... I was in a huge panic when you called me about Hattie. I might have slipped out that I had a kid. Today, Jason asked me about it. I couldn't deny it! I had already said it so I couldn't just take it back!"

"Oh damn" Jamie replied.

"I'm so sorry."

"Hey" he grabbed her arm in reassurance. "It's okay Eddie. Who knows?"

"Just Jason. He's the only one I told."

"As long as we can keep it to only him knowing then we should be fine. We have to tell Johnson and Watts then they'll tell my dad."

"Do you think your dad will be pissed?"

"Honestly no" he replied. "He'll understand that you were worried about Hattie and especially Scarlett since she's so young and was the only one with her. Just as long as you have no more slip ups then we'll be fine Janko."

"Alright" she replied relieved. They ate their food then hurried back to work.

* * *

When they got out of work, they were driven to 1PP where the Detectives and Frank were waiting on them.

"So you said Jason Matthews is the only one who knows about Scarlett's existence right?" Frank asked Eddie.

"Yes sir" she replied.

"Okay." Frank sat down and stared ahead. "If he asks you about her then feel free and talk about her. Don't show him any pictures or think about taking her to the office. I know you won't but we need to be careful with our moves here. She's a baby and could say anything that could jeopardize the operation. No offense Officer Janko but she could."

"None taken" she replied. "I understand."

"You two have excelled in this operation. There could probably be a promotion for both of you if you keep it up" he said with a wink. "Good work officers."

"Thank you sir" they replied.


	13. Chapter 12

"Thank you for inviting me Ashley. I really haven't gotten the opportunity to meet many people since we moved here" Eddie said as they walked into the country club.

"No problem. I was in your same shoes when we moved here. And here we are…" They stopped at the main entrance of the Grand Ballroom. Eddie looked around in amazement at fancy decor. Ashley eyed her with a smirk.

"You've never been in a place like this before, have you? They didn't have many places like this in your old neck of the woods, I'm assuming."

"No, they didn't. This is really different than what I'm used to" Eddie replied.

"Well get used to it dear. This is your new life." Ashley opened the door then turned back to glance at Eddie. "And Emely… let me do all the talking. Alright?"

She nodded and followed in behind her.

* * *

Jamie was sitting in the living room watching television after having dinner with Hattie and Scarlett. Hattie was already in the bedroom asleep and Scarlett was sitting in the corner of the living room playing with her toys occasionally glancing over at Jamie. He could tell that she wanted to say something.

"Hey sweetheart" he said softly. "Do you want to come sit with me?"

She smiled softly and shyly walked over to him. He picked her up onto the couch and she snuggled into his side.

"You're usually a Chatty- Cathy Miss Scarlett. What's wrong?" She snuggled closer to him and didn't reply.

"You can talk to me honey."

"Pwease no leave me and mama." Jamie looked at her bewildered.

"What do you mean sweetheart?"

"Just no leave us, Mr. 'aime. Okay? You pwomise?"

Jamie wondered what brought all that about. One thing he noticed in the month that he's lived with them is that Scarlett is a very observant and inquisitive child. She picks up on things that most her age won't. He wondered if she must've picked up on something that he and Eddie talked about.

"No baby. I'm not leaving you and your mama. I promise. I'll always be here for the two of you."

"Good." He smiled and pulled her into his lap.

"Let's watch your show until mama gets here." The two of them sat back and relaxed waiting for Eddie.

* * *

Eddie walked in very drained from her night. There was so many revelations that came out during her time with Ashley. She got home as quick as she could so she could tell Jamie all about it. She looked into the living room and saw the sweetest sight. Jamie and Scarlett were laid out on the couch asleep covered with one of Scarlett's rainbow blankets.

"Jamie" she walked over and gently shook his shoulder.

"Hey" he said with a sleepy smile. "You're home."

"Yeah. I see that you two had a great time." She looked around and chuckled at the assortment of Scarlett's toys all over the couch.

He smiled. "Yeah, we partied a little too hard. I'll put her to bed then I'll come back."

Eddie smiled as she watched him pick her up. She grabbed a glass of water then cleaned the toys off the couch.

"She woke up when I put her down then fell right back asleep. So how'd it go?"

"Jamie" she gave him a look. "You will not believe what I found out tonight."

His eyes widened. "Goodness Janko, tell me."

"The first thing is that Ashley's cheating on Brian."

"What!?"

"Yep. Her boyfriend was at the country club tonight. He came and introduced himself before we let."

"Damn."

"Yeah. And that brings us to the second thing, she's running her own little side business with her boyfriend. They con business men at the club with a fake charity case. They tell a fake sob story and get them to give hundreds of thousands of dollars that goes to them."

"What in the hell Janko."

"I know."

"It's like a two for one. We got Brian and now her."

"Yep. What's on the agenda for tomorrow?" she asked.

"I have to meet up with Brian again tomorrow night but otherwise nothing. Don't you have the day off tomorrow too?"

"Yeah. Since we can't go anywhere, we can just chill out here. Go to the pool and relax."

"Sounds good" he said with a smile. "Go to bed Janko. We can actually sleep in tomorrow."

"Alright. Goodnight Reagan."

"Goodnight."

* * *

The next morning, Jamie and Scarlett were in the pool while Eddie was sitting by watching them. She loved seeing how close the two of them were. There is times when she thinks about their future with Jamie in it. She has hope that in the future, they can possibly talk about pursuing a relationship. In the past month, she's really enjoyed going back to the apartment and seeing Jamie there in the kitchen or on the floor playing one of Scarlett's many invented games. She didn't know if she could go back to the way things were.

"Janko!" she looked over and saw him looking at her. "Get in with us!"

"Come on mama!" She smiled and stood up.

"I'm coming!" She got in and the three of them played around for awhile.

Later, Scarlett was asleep under the canopy while Jamie and Eddie ate lunch.

"I haven't had this much fun in awhile."

Eddie smiled. "Me either. Jamie... thank you for being so good with her. She absolutely loves you."

"I love her too. I'd do anything for her... and for you too."

"Thank you" she replied softly.

He scooted close to her and brushed a piece of hair out of her face. She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch. "I'll always be here for the two of you. Please forgive me for I'm about to do."

"Wha-?" Before she knew it, Jamie leaned in and gave her a hungry kiss. She raised her hand and ran it through his wet hair. They kissed for awhile before Jamie pulled away.

"I'm sorry but I needed to do that."

"Don't be sorry."

He smiled and kissed the side of her head. "After we're done with this, I want to give us a shot. We can't do anything right now but when we're done, be ready Janko. I promise to woo you and that little lady over there. Are you down?"

She leaned in and kissed him again. "Definitely."

* * *

Please read and review!


	14. Chapter 14

That night, Jamie went and met up with Brian in the warehouse from their original meeting.

"Hey bud, nice to see you again." Jamie walked in and sat down across from him. He looked around to see that they were alone.

"Hey" Jamie replied. "Where's everyone else?"

"I sent them away. It just you and me. You're the only one I can trust with this." Jamie leaned in intrigued. "On Wednesday night, I have a few suppliers coming into town that I need you to tend to. It won't take very long. Just be here to make sure the deal gets done then you'll get your share."

"Alright, I'll be here."

"8 o'clock sharp."

* * *

The next morning, Jamie was off at "work" while Eddie didn't have to go in until later. Hattie noticed that she had a pep in her step and that she hadn't stopped smiling since entering the room.

"What has you all smiling over there baby?" Hattie asked. "I haven't seen this wide of a smile on you since... I don't know, forever!"

Eddie blushed and sat beside her on the couch. "Jamie kissed me yesterday while we were at the pool."

"Ohhh really?" Hattie drawled out. "And?"

"AND he wants to give us a shot after the operation is over!"

"Oh that's great!" Hattie leaned over and gave Eddie a big hug. "I knew it would happen. He's so great with Scarlett and he absolutely loves you. I could tell from the first time I saw you interact with him. I'm so happy for you honey!"

"Thank you so much" Eddie replied hugging her tight.

"You know you can leave the baby with me when you two go on a date. Anytime!"

"It won't be for awhile though. We have to finish this first. I'm taking Scarlett to preschool today. I don't know if I mentioned it."

"What!?" Hattie replied. "You don't need to do that. Just leave her here!"

"I think if we keep her locked up here any longer, she might rebel against us. There's only a matter of time before she gets sick of the pool. I think it'll be good for her to spend time with other kids. Plus, she'll only be in there until we're done here."

"Well alright. I still don't like it though."

"I know." She kissed Hattie's cheek and then went into the bedroom to get Scarlett ready.

* * *

"You need to be a very good girl for your teacher today, okay? If you're good, then I'll ask Mr. Jamie to pick up a surprise when he comes home from work." Scarlett smiled widely.

"I'll be good!" Scarlett replied. She then looked up at Eddie. "Mama?"

"Yeah?" she replied.

"I really like Mr. 'amie. He pwomise me that he no leave us."

Eddie sniffled. "Oh yeah? He said that?"

"Yep! He pwomise and it's bad to break pwomises mama. Right?"

"Right." She looked down and smiled at Scarlett. "It looks like we're here." She bent down and hugged Scarlett tight. "Have a good day, baby. I'll be back later to come get you."

The toddler smiled and confidently walked in the door. Eddie smiled proudly and walked away wiping tears.

* * *

"How'd she do?" Jamie asked. He and Eddie would usually talk during their lunch break because it fell during the same time for them.

"She did so good. Didn't even cry and walked in happily. I cried on the way to work."

Jamie smiled. "I think it would've been worse if you would've had to leave her while she was crying her eyes out."

"Yeah. Do you think you could pick up some of that ice cream she likes when you get out of work? I promised that if she was good, then I'd have a surprise for her."

"Absolutely. Well, I have to get back now. I'll see you at home, okay? Love- um, have a great rest of the day at work."

Eddie smiled when she realized what he was about to say. "You too. Bye."

Jamie hung up the phone. He knew that he loved her but it wasn't the time to say it just yet.

* * *

As soon as 3:30 came around, Eddie packed up and made her way to go pick up Scarlett. There had been no calls from the school so she assumed that everything had gone well.

Eddie walked to the classroom and saw Scarlett anxiously waiting for her.

"Hi Mama!" the toddler said excitedly. Eddie bent down and hugged the toddler tight.

"Oh I missed you. Were you a good girl?" she asked.

"I was! I had so much fun! I come back tomorrow?" Scarlett asked.

"Definitely."

"Emely?" Eddie turned and saw Ashley standing there. She saw her giving Scarlett a chilling stare. "I didn't know that you and James had a daughter. She's beautiful."

"Thank you. Do you have a child?" Eddie asked. She knew she had to play it cool but she discretely pushed Scarlett behind her.

"No but I always come to pick up my niece. We should all have dinner again soon."

"Yeah, we'll see. We've just been so busy as of late. We have to go. James is getting home soon. Have a good day." She grabbed Scarlett's hand and quickly walked away.

* * *

Jamie noticed that Eddie had been quiet throughout dinner. He could tell that something was wrong with her as soon as he walked in the door.

"Right mama?" Scarlett asked.

"Hm?" Eddie replied. "Sorry baby, mama is a little out of it today."

"It's okay. I done with dinner. Can me go?"

"Let's wash your hands first" Jamie said. "Then, you can play with your toys until bed."

Jamie helped Scarlett then sat back at the table with Eddie who still seemed distracted.

"You alright?" he asked. He tenderly rubbed her shoulder. "Did something happen?"

"Ashley was there when I picked up Scarlett."

"She was? That doesn't seem bad."

"Yeah she was supposedly picking up her niece. She was giving Scarlett this weird stare. It just gave me a bad vibe."

"Do you want to take her out of there?" he asked. "There's always other schools and she won't be there for too long."

"No. She absolutely loves it there. I don't think she'd hurt a child."

"Just don't try to interact with her. If you have to, just say hi and walk away."

"I know." Eddie got up and started to clear the table promptly ending the conversation. "How was your day?"

"A bunch of the same. I have to meet up with Brian again on Wednesday."

"Be careful Jamie. You never know what he's capable of."

"I know. I'll have backup."

Eddie nodded. "I need to finish these dishes then put Scarlett to bed."

Jamie walked up behind her and gently moved her out of the way. "I got it" he murmured. "You go and tend to the munchkin."

She turned and looked at him. "You sure?" she replied in a whisper.

He put his hands on her hips and kissed her which took her by surprise. "Positive" he replied. "You two go get ready for bed. I can take care of everything here."

"Alright." She smiled and walked out of the kitchen.

Jamie realized that after the operation was over, they would have to go back to living their normal lives. He wasn't sure if he wanted to do that. He enjoyed their arrangement way too much. Once he and Eddie actually started to go out, he would need to have a conversation with her about their living arrangements.

* * *

_I'm finally back with this one! I got writer's block and didn't know how to continue. Hope you enjoy and let me know your thoughts. This one will definitely be updated sooner than later :)_


	15. Chapter 15

Jamie was on his way to work on Wednesday morning when he got a message from Brian.

_Don't forget about tonight. They'll be expecting you._

He was a little nervous about tonight. It seemed kind of odd to him that Brian was trusting him so quick. There was going to be backup but overall he was doing it on his own.

* * *

"Can you pick up Scarlett from school today, Hattie?" Eddie asked. "I have to work late today."

"That's fine honey. I'll probably take her to the park afterwards before we come home."

"That's fine. I'll pick up some dinner because Jamie is working on the operation tonight so he won't be eating with us."

They heard footsteps running from the bedroom.

"I ready for school!" Scarlett said excitedly.

"That's great baby" Eddie said. "And please don't run in the house."

"Sorry mama."

"It's alright. Say bye to Nanny because we're already running late."

* * *

As soon as Jamie arrived at work, he felt that something was off. He felt that something was going to happen but he couldn't pinpoint what it was.

When he arrived at his desk, he noticed that a few things were out of place. It was subtle but he definitely noticed. His files had been looked through and a file with "James Richardson's" personal information had been shuffled through as well.

"Has anyone been through my desk?" he asked Nina, his deskmate with Brian.

"No. I haven't seen anyone. Is something wrong?" she replied.

"No. I'm probably imagining things." He sat down and logged into his computer to get to work.

* * *

Jamie decided to text Eddie around midday to ease his nerves.

_You alright?_

_I'm good. Why? _

_Did Scarlett get off okay?_

_Yeah she was fine. You're freaking me out. _

_I just have a bad feeling. I don't know what it is. _

_It's probably about tonight with Brian. Just be careful Jamie. _

_I will._

_I have to go. I'm really busy here. Be safe. See you later._

_You too :)_

* * *

Hattie made her way over to Scarlett's preschool to pick her up. She really missed having the little girl with her but understood that she needed to associate with children her own age.

She walked to the classroom and peered inside. She saw many kids but didn't see her Scarlett.

"Is this Classroom B?" she asked a teacher.

"Yes it is. Who are you here to pick up?"

"Scarlett Janko."

"Oh! Her aunt already picked her up."

"Aunt? She doesn't have an aunt. The only people authorized to pick her up are her mama and myself. There is no one else who should pick her up."

The young teacher immediately looked panicked. "She doesn't have an aunt?" she asked.

Hattie immediately went into her mama bear mode. "No she does not! So help me if something happened to this child, you will never see the light of day again."

"Yes ma'am." She ran to the office and immediately made some phone calls.

Hattie pulled out her phone and called Eddie.

* * *

"What!?" Eddie shouted into the phone. "I'm on my way. Stay there."

She hurriedly ran around her office getting her stuff together.

"Is everything okay?" Jason asked walking in.

"I can't stay. Something happened with Scarlett. I have to go. Please cover for me."

She grabbed her purse and ran out of her office before he could even respond.

* * *

Jamie felt his phone vibrating and pulled it out to see Eddie calling. He got worried because it was rare for her to call him during the day.

"Hey! What's up?"

"I'm on my way to Scarlett's school" she said in tears. "Someone took her."

Jamie's blood ran ice cold. He knew something bad was going to happen but didn't expect it to happen to his little Scarlett.

"I'm on my way. I'll meet you there."

Jamie grabbed his stuff and ran out.

* * *

When Eddie arrived at the school, there was police everywhere. She jumped out of the cab and ran into the school to find Hattie ready to duke it out with one of the teachers.

"I'm Scarlett's mother" Eddie said. "Who in the hell was allowed to take my daughter?!"

An older gentleman stepped up to Eddie. "I'm Principal Howard. We honestly don't know how this happened. The teacher in question who allowed your daughter to go with the unknown woman has been terminated."

"I don't care what happens to that woman. All I want is my daughter back."

A couple of minutes later, Jamie ran inside with a certain police commissioner right behind him. The first thing he did was hug Eddie tight.

"We'll find her, Eddie. Whoever took her won't see the light of day ever again." She nodded.

"Where is the teacher who last saw Scarlett?" Frank asked the principal.

"She's in the break room speaking with the detectives, Commissioner."

Frank walked over to the break room and knocked on the door. The detectives looked up and went out to greet Frank.

"Making any headway?" Frank asked getting to point.

"No sir. She seems nervous and scared. She won't say anything" answered one of the detectives.

"Give me a few minutes with her. I think I can get somewhere."

* * *

"It has to be Ashley, Jamie" Eddie cried. "I can't think of anyone else who would take her. Just please let my baby be okay."

"We'll find her Eddie. Until my last breath, I will find her." He kissed her forehead. "My dad is in there right now."

She nodded and hugged him tight.

An officer came up to Jamie and Eddie. "Would you two come look at the footage? I think we found Scarlett with the woman who took her."

They walked into the surveillance room of the school. As soon as Eddie saw the monitors, her suspicions were confirmed.

"It was Ashley! I knew it!" she exclaimed.

"Scarlett knows all about stranger danger" Jamie said. "What the hell would make her go with Ashley?"

The officer played the video. Ashley was seen speaking sternly with the teacher while Scarlett was playing with her niece. After a few minutes, Ashley went grabbed her niece and Scarlett. She leaned down and said something to the two girls which made the smile and nod.

"Scarlett went with her because of Ashley's niece" Jamie said. "She probably promised them that they would go do something fun."

"Jamie!" Frank said rushing in the room. "Look at your phone."

"What?" Jamie asked confused.

"Check it now!" Jamie pulled out his phone and saw a message from Brian.

_Call me in 20 and I'll tell you what to do. Just give me what I want and the girl will live. You really think you can lie to me Jameson?;)_

Jamie face went white and he had to be helped to sit down.

"He knows" Jamie whispered. "If anything happens to Scarlett I'd never be able to forgive myself."

"Jamie." Eddie bent down and rubbed his shoulder. "We have to be strong." She realized that she had to be strong because Jamie looked like he was about to lose it. "Let's go and find my baby. We'll have her in our arms and we can go far away from here."

"Alright" he replied. He stood up and squeezed Eddie's hand. "It's almost time to call him."

They led Jamie into the break room and tapped his phone so they could be prepared for when he called Brian.

While they were preparing Jamie, Eddie was pacing outside the room.

"Baby, you need to sit down" Hattie said. "We'll get her back. If that other little girl is there, they surely won't hurt her."

"We don't know that Hattie. They could take her away and do who knows what to her."

Hattie stood up and grabbed her. "Let's pray. There's nothing else we can do right now besides pray."

They joined hands and bowed their heads praying for Scarlett's safe return.

* * *

_Sorry to leave you with a cliffhanger! I'll definitely have the next chapter out in a day or two. Thank you guys so much for all the positive comments on this story! Please read and review._


	16. Chapter16

"James! Or Jameson is it?" Brian said when he picked up the phone. "How's it going?"

"You know exactly what's going. Is Scarlett okay?" Jamie asked.

"She's fine... for now."

"Lay a finger on her Brian and you won't see the light of day again."

"As long as you do what I ask, you'll get her back without a hair misplaced on her little head."

"What do you need me to do?" Jamie asked.

"500,000 in cash. Put it in a duffle bag and meet me at Dutchman's Landing by 9 o'clock tonight. Just you. No one else. If you pull anything, you won't ever see her again. Don't be late." Brian hung up the phone.

Jamie threw down the phone frustrated. "How the hell can I get 500,000 right now?"

Frank spoke up. "We're taking care of it Jamie. We'll have backup go with you but be out of sight."

Jamie got up and went to fill Eddie in with the details.

* * *

"Mr. Bwian?" Scarlett said rubbing her eyes. Ashley and Brian's niece had been taken home hours ago. "Is my mama and Mr. 'amie coming yet? I sleepy and wanna go home."

"In a minute kid. Go back and play."

"I no want to. Pwease call them." Scarlett started to cry. "Pwease call them."

Brain got frustrated and was about to hit Scarlett before Ashley stepped in.

"Move Ashley" he said through gritted teeth. Scarlett ran into the corner of the room and hid.

"She's two! She's still a baby. She's tired. DO NOT touch her."

"Find a way to shut her up or I'll do it myself." Brian walked out and slammed the door.

Ashley slowly walked up behind the young toddler who was whimpering in the corner. She would never hurt the little girl. She was never on board with any of this in the first place but Brian had threatened her.

"Scarlett" she said softly. "Do you want some juice?"

"I want my mama and Mr. 'amie" she replied shaking with sobs.

Ashley sighed and stood up. She went and got the little girl some juice mixed with some special medicine.

"Scarlett? Will you drink this for me? It's some apple juice like the one you and Vivi drink at school."

The toddler turned and slowly grabbed the cup. They hadn't given her anything to drink in awhile.

As Scarlett was drinking the juice, Ashley saw her slowly start to fade. She had mixed a large dosage of Children's NyQuil in the juice. Ashley knew if Scarlett kept crying, Brian would do something to her. It would be safer for her to sleep for the next couple of hours.

* * *

Jamie, Eddie, the detectives on the case and NYPD officers were sitting about 5 miles out from Dutchman's Landing.

Many officers were strategically placed through out the woods and ready for Jamie's signal.

"You ready Jamie?" Eddie asked.

"Yeah" he replied. He could see the hesitation on her face. "I'll get her back, Eddie. I promise you that."

"I know. Just please be safe. I need both of you back safe."

He leaned in and kissed her cheek. "We will. I promise."

"Officer Reagan?" A detective walked up to Jamie and Eddie. "Are you ready to go? The duffel bag is in the passengers seat. The radio is in the glove compartment. Once you give the signal, we'll be there and on him."

Jamie nodded. He hugged Eddie tight then got into the car.

* * *

"Brian, please be careful with her" Ashley exclaimed. He threw a sleeping Scarlett in the back on the car. The young toddler had been asleep for almost three hours due to the amount of medicine she was given.

"She's fine. Now, get in the car."

"No." She stood her ground and didn't move.

"No? Ashley, stop being stupid and get in."

"I'm done with this life, Brian. I can't take it anymore. We're done."

Ashley took off her ring and threw it at him. She turned around and walked back into the house.

"I didn't need you anyways!" he yelled towards the house. "You better be gone when I get back!"

He slammed the door of the car and drove away.

* * *

It was now 9:10 and there was no sign of Brian. Jamie was just ready to get Scarlett back. He missed the little girl more than he could've ever imagined. She was probably scared to death and wondering if someone was ever going to save her. In the three months that they had all been living together, he'd had grown to see her as his own. He could see himself being a family with Eddie and Scarlett. They meant everything to him.

By 9:15, he could see headlights flashing at him which signaled Brian's presence. Jamie got out and rounded to the front of his car to wait. In the distance, he saw Brian got out of the car and go to the back to open the door. He reached down and pulled out a small body which he knew was Scarlett. Brian then made his way towards Jamie.

"How are you, Jameson? It's just you right?"

"Just me. Give her to me and I'll give you the money."

"It's not that easy, bud" Brian replied. "You lied to me. I had trust in you and you lied."

"I'm sorry. I am. Just give me the baby and you can be on your way with the 500,000."

At that moment, Scarlett woke up and started to wiggle around. "We home?" she asked still in a daze. She then looked at Brian who was still holding her. "Where's my mama?"

"Shut up kid."

"Don't talk to her like that!" Jamie exclaimed.

Scarlett turned and immediately reached out for Jamie. "Mr. 'aime! Pwease! I wanna go wit you!" she cried.

"It's okay baby" he cooed. "Everything will be okay."

She was squirming around so much that Brian ended up dropping her. Jamie ran up and tried to grab her but Brian pulled her back by the collar.

"Stay back!" Brian pulled out his gun. "Come any closer and she's done."

"She's a baby. Don't hurt her. If you're going to hurt anyone, hurt me."

Brian gave a crooked smile. He slowly lowered the gun towards Scarlett's head. She howled in fear.

"PLEASE! I'll do anything! Leave her alone!"

Without any warning, Brian brought up the gun to his head and shot himself. He fell forward and the young toddler immediately bolted towards Jamie. He bent down and scooped her up.

"You're safe" he whispered. He leaned in and kissed the side of her head. "Everything is okay. Did he hurt you, baby?"

She shrugged her shoulders and cried harder into his neck. Officers had already surrounded Brian and EMT's came forward.

"We need to check her Officer Reagan" an EMT said.

He nodded and stepped into the back of the ambulance with Scarlett holding onto him tight. An EMT tried to grab Scarlett's arm to check her vitals but she pulled back and whimpered.

"Can we have a couple of minutes?" Jamie asked. "She needs time to calm down."

The EMT nodded and stepped out. Jamie hugged the toddler close and began to rock her back and forth.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry" he whispered."No one is going to hurt you ever again. I promise."

* * *

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	17. Chapter17

"Hey" Jamie said walking into the hospital room. They had admitted Scarlett for the night for precautionary measures. Overall, she was in great health besides a few bumps and bruises.

"Hi" Eddie replied quietly. She was laying in the hospital bed with Scarlett fast asleep in her arms.

"How is she?" he asked.

"She's alright. She keeps shaking in her sleep. The doctor said it's normal with what's she's been through." Jamie went up and kissed the side of Scarlett's head.

"And how are you?" Jamie said. He could tell that she'd been crying.

"I don't know. I've been thinking a lot. This happened to her because of my job. I can't risk it again so I was thinking... about leaving the force."

"Eddie" Jamie said. "You really need to think about this. It's been an emotional day for everyone."

"I made up my mind Jamie. I can't let this happen to her again."

"Eddie, please think about this. You know what? Sleep on it for a week. If you still feel the same way, then I fully support you doing it. It's your choice but please give it some time and think about it."

She shrugged. He took it as a yes. "You hungry?" he asked. "I can go get you something."

"No. I'm fine, thank you."

"I guess I'll go so you can sleep. I'll be back in the morning with some breakfast." He leaned down and gave Scarlett and Eddie a kiss on the cheek.

"Wait..." Eddie said. He was almost out the door. "You don't have to but can you stay here? Please."

He nodded and walked over to the couch. "I'll stay right here. I'm not going anywhere."

Eddie nodded and laid back on the bed with Scarlett. Jamie stayed up for awhile and kept watch over them.

* * *

The next morning, Eddie woke up to Scarlett not in the bed with her. She panicked for a minute before she finally saw the toddler. She was sitting on the couch with Jamie looking out the window.

"Look Mr. 'aime. So many lellow taxis."

"I see that" he replied. Eddie could see that Scarlett was definitely scarred by the incident. She was usually a bright, vivacious toddler who was a chatterbox at anytime of the day. Now, she looked like the brightness was taken out of her. "Do you want some breakfast? We can go get some from the cafeteria and bring it back so we can eat with mama."

"Ok" she replied.

"Morning guys" Eddie said.

"Hi mama." Jamie picked up the little girl and took her over to Eddie so she could kiss her good morning.

"You want to go get some breakfast, Eddie?" Jamie asked.

"You two go ahead. Just bring me something."

Jamie nodded and took Scarlett out of the room.

* * *

"Do you want a waffle?" Jamie asked Scarlett. They were in the cafeteria looking at all the different options.

"No."

"They have French Toast. I know that's your favorite."

"I no want it."

"Sweetheart, you have to eat something. Just a little bit."

She shook her head and laid it on his shoulder. He sighed and grabbed some apple slices in hopes that he and Eddie could coax her to eat some later.

He woke up that morning to Scarlett sitting on the bed staring off into space.

_"Morning Scarlett" he whispered so he wouldn't startle her._

_She looked and gave a small smile. "Hi Mr. 'aime."_

_He got up and crouched down beside the side of the bed that she was on. "Whatcha doing, sweetheart?"_

_Scarlett shrugged. He reached out and touched her shoulder but she flinched and scooted away. _

_"It's okay" he whispered. "I'm not going to do anything to you. I promise. Do you want to watch cartoons?"_

_She shook her head and then pointed at Eddie. "Mama sleep."_

_He smiled at how considerate she was of her mother. He then tried another tactic. It was still dark outside and Scarlett had a fascination with the lights of the city. There was some nights before bed that he would find Scarlett sitting at the window staring out at the city skyline. It was a beautiful view since the apartment they had was a high rise._

_He walked over to window and looked out. "The lights look so pretty, Scarlett. Do you want to come see them?"_

_She immediately nodded. He walked over and picked her up out of the bed then put her on the couch so she could look out. They watched for over an hour until the sun went up._

After he paid for the food, they made their way back to the room.

* * *

They had been home for over an hour when Scarlett woke up from her nap wailing and in a panic. Eddie had laid her in the bedroom. The doctor had told them to expect it. The little girl had been through a lot.

Hattie was the first one who ran in the room. "It's okay baby. It's alright. Nobody's gonna hurt you." She picked up Scarlett who was sweaty and shaking.

Eddie and Jamie were in right behind Hattie. "Come here, baby" Eddie said as she took her from Hattie. She immediately began to rock the little girl. "Nobody's gonna hurt you ever again."

"I'm gonna give her a bath" she whispered as Scarlett began to calm down. "I think it should help."

She took the little girl and walked into the bathroom which left Hattie and Jamie in the bedroom.

"How do you feel about all this, son?" Hattie asked Jamie.

"I should ask you that question" he replied.

"I was terrified when they said that someone had picked her up already" she replied. "If something would've happened to that little girl, I don't know how my Eddie would've taken it. She lives for that baby. At times, she's been the only thing that keeps her going. Those two have been through it. That's why I'm glad that you've came into their lives."

Jamie smiled. "Thanks Hattie. I appreciate that. I love them both very much and hope to do right by them."

"You better or you'll have me to answer to. I don't like it when anyone hurts my babies."

"Yes ma'am, I know. When we get back on patrol next week, I plan to ask for a different partner so I can officially take her on a date."

Hattie smiled. "Let me know when so I can take Scarlett for that night. I'm going to go stay at my place tonight since I haven't been back there for awhile. When do we all have to be out of here?"

"The end of the week. I'm moving Eddie and Scarlett's things tomorrow then mine on Friday. Do you need me to move anything for you?"

"No, some of those nice officers who were here earlier did that for me. I'm gonna get going." She stood up and hugged Jamie. "Take care of yourself and the girls."

"I will." Hattie left and Jamie decided to get dinner started for the three of them since Eddie was still bathing Scarlett. After awhile, she came out of the bedroom with the little girl clinging to her neck.

"How is she?" he asked approaching them. He reached out and rubbed the toddler's back.

"She's better. The bath helped calm her down."

"You hungry?" he asked. "I made dinner."

She nodded. "Are you hungry, baby? Mr. Jamie made dinner."

Scarlett shook her head. "No" she whispered.

"Are you sure?" Eddie asked. "You've barely eaten anything today."

"I sure" she replied. Eddie sighed.

"Let me give it a try. Give her to me and you eat." She nodded and handed the toddler off to him.

"Do you want to watch some cartoons?" he asked Scarlett. The little girl shrugged. He carried her over to the couch and then turned on the T.V.

They sat there watching cartoons for awhile when Scarlett finally started to open up and become more engaged. She named the characters on the television and started to quietly laugh at them too.

"May I have apples, pwease?" she asked in a whisper. He smiled then called out to Eddie.

"She wants some apples" he said. Eddie smiled and cut one up for her then brought it over to them on the couch. The toddler took the plate and ate a few which delighted Eddie to no end. The trio continued to watch T.V. until all three of them dozed off.


	18. Chapter 18

"How's the munchkin doing?" Jamie asked. They were finally back on patrol after getting a bit of time off after the operation was over.

"She's doing better, thank god. The first couple of nights were rough but we made it through."

"I'm glad." He paused before he brought up something that had been weighing on his mind for the last week. "Did you change your mind?"

She gave him a perplexed look. "What are you talking about?"

"That night in the hospital, you said that you were going to leave the force. Were you still planning on that?"

"Oh." She shook her head. "Not anymore. I thought about it like you said and I love this job too much to leave. And it's provided my daughter and I with a pretty great life so far."

He smiled. "I'm glad. I really didn't want you to leave." He then changed the subject. "What are you two ladies doing tonight?"

"Me and Scarlett?" she asked.

"Yeah" he replied. "What other two ladies would I be talking about?"

"Oh" she laughed. "I was planning to take her to the park after work. Did I tell you that she started school again?"

"No. I just thought that was a temporary thing just to keep her occupied when we were doing the operation. You actually put her in?"

"Yep. Peartree Preschool. She's getting older and she needs to associate with more people than me, Hattie, and sometimes you."

"How's she been doing then?"

"She loves it. I thought she'd be a little spooked she was kidnapped from her other school by Ashley but she's having a blast."

"Good. I was wondering if I could hang out with you guys tonight? I haven't seen Scarlett for awhile and-," he looked away from her and she could see his cheeks get a rosy color, "I've really missed you guys. I know we all lived together for only three months but it's weird going home and you two not being there."

She gave him a soft smile. "Yeah. Absolutely. She's been asking about her Mr. Jamie."

"Is 6:30 good?"

"Definitely".

He smiled and put his eyes back on the road.

* * *

Their shift ended at 3:00 and they headed their separate ways until they met again later. Jamie went home to his apartment and Eddie went to pick up Scarlett.

"How was school, sweetheart?" They had just left the school and were headed to the park.

"It good! Me have a lot of fwends."

"That's great baby. What are their names?"

"Gigi, Hannie, Katie, and Georgie. We sit at a table together."

"That must be fun."

"Wait Mama." She let go of Eddie's hand and pulled off her backpack to open it. "Georgie is having monster twuck party for hims birthday." She pulled out the invitation and handed it to Eddie. "May I pwease go?"

She scanned the invitation. "I don't see why not. It looks like it's on Saturday at Georgie's grandpa's house in Bay Ridge. Yes, we can go."

"Oh thank you, mama!" She hugged Eddie's legs. "I can't wait to tell Georgie!"

Eddie smiled at her daughter's excitement. Scarlett happily chatted away as they walked to the park.

* * *

Jamie was just killing time before he headed over to Eddie's apartment. He decided to meet up with Danny for a couple of minutes because they hadn't hung out together for awhile.

"So how's Eddie and her kid?" he asked. "It was rough what they went through."

"They're fine" he replied. "Scarlett is doing a lot better. She had a rough time sleeping for the first couple of nights."

"Poor kid. I'm glad she's doing better though."

"I am too".

Danny paused then cautiously approached a subject that he'd been hearing about for awhile.

"So," he started out, "I've been hearing some things about you."

"Yeah?" he replied. "Like what?"

He smirked. "You and Janko."

"Shut up, Danny."

"What?" he laughed. "I haven't even said anything."

Jamie just shook his head.

"I think you should go for it. She seems like a great girl and her kid is adorable."

"I am but things are more complicated than that, Danny."

"What's complicated?"

"She's my partner. Partners aren't allowed to date."

"And you went to Harvard? Go to your boss, request different partners, get it approved, then take your butt to her place and ask her out. Do I have to think of everything for you?"

Jamie laughed. "Whatever. I have to go. I'm meeting up with her tonight."

Danny winked. "Oh really?"

"Get your mind out of the gutter. Her daughter is going to be there too. See you Sunday."

"See ya kid."

* * *

Eddie was straightening up the apartment waiting on Jamie. Scarlett ended up falling asleep on the way home from the park after running around for a few hours.

Knock. Knock.

She went and opened the door to find Jamie standing on the other side.

"Hey you" he said. He leaned down and kissed her cheek.

"Hey. Come on in."

He walked in and looked around. "Where's peanut?"

"She's asleep. She had a blast at the park."

He smiled. "I'm glad".

"You want some dinner? I made a lasagna with a salad. The lasagna still has like 10 more minutes though.

"That's fine. I need to talk to you though."

"Yeah?" she replied nervously. "What about?"

"Well," he pulled her into him and wrapped his arms around her waist, "I realized that we ended that operation a few weeks ago and I still haven't taken you on a date. Are you free this Saturday?"

"Ohhhh" she drawled out. "I'm actually taking Scarlett to a birthday party. You know, you could come with us. We could have a trial run date before the real one."

"Hm, okay. I'll go. Where is it?"

"In Bay Ridge."

"That's where my dad lives. I'll pick you guys up so you two don't have to go all that way by yourselves."

She smiled and nodded.

He started to lean his head down and was almost an inch away for her lips when they heard a little voice pipe up from the other side of the kitchen.

"Mama?" The little girl started walking towards them rubbing her eyes. "I hungry." She looked at Jamie and smiled. "Hi Mr. 'aime."

"Hey munchkin" Jamie said. He leaned down and opened his arms. "Can I have a hug?"

She nodded and hugged him. Eddie smiled as she watched them interact. They've definitely had a special relationship from the first time they met. He's a father figure that she's always wanted for her daughter. But she wasn't going to get ahead of herself just yet.

* * *

After dinner, they were all sitting down on the couch winding down. Scarlett nodded off in between Jamie and Eddie.

Jamie chuckled as he looked down at the sleeping toddler. "This is the most still I've ever seen her."

Eddie smiled looking down at her little girl. "Yeah. I think I should put her to bed. She has school in the morning."

He picked up Scarlett and put her on his shoulder. "I'll take her for you."

They walked into the bedroom and Jamie gently laid down the young girl. "Goodnight sweetheart, sleep well" he said as he kissed the little girl's forehead.

Eddie kissed the little girl's cheek. "Love you baby."

They quietly walked out of the bedroom and shut the door.

"I think I'm going to head out, Eddie."

Eddie tried not to let her disappointment. "Oh. Alright."

"Trust me, if we didn't have to work tomorrow, I'd definitely stay but you need to get to bed and I do too."

She smiled. and opened the door. "Don't worry, I understand. Are we still on for the birthday party on Saturday?"

He cupped her cheek and kissed her twice. "For sure. Text me the time and I'll be here early."

"Okay" she replied with a rosy blush to her cheeks.

He smiled and kissed her one more time. "G' night Janko. See you in the morning."

"Goodnight".

She leaned against the doorway and smiled as he walked down the hallway.

* * *

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	19. Chapter 19

That Saturday, Eddie was getting a very hyper Scarlett ready for her friend's birthday party.

"Hold still, sweetie. I can't get these pigtails straight."

"I no want pigtails mommy. I want a bwaid."

"A what?" she asked.

"A bwaid mommy!" She pointed to one of her favorite characters on the television who had a braid in their hair. "One of those!"

"Oh!" Eddie laughed. "A braid. Yes, I can do that. How many do you want?"

"Two! Georgie say bwaids are pretty!"

"Oh, does he now?" She smiled at her young daughter. "Do you like Georgie, Scarlett?"

"Yeah I do."

"Like a friend or a boyfriend?"

"Uhhh" Scarlett drawled out.

Then, there was a knock at the door.

"Mr. 'aime here! Can me open it?"

"Go for it" Eddie said quickly tying off Scarlett's last braid.

She ran to the door and swung it open. "Hi Mr. 'aime! You ready for the party?"

"Of course I am!" He picked her up. "You look very pretty, Scarlett."

"I know. Thank you." Jamie and Eddie both laughed out loud. He then turned to Eddie. "You look great."

"Thank you." She leaned up and kissed his cheek. "So do you."

"Are you ladies ready to go?" he asked.

"Yep!" Scarlett said. "I go get hims pwesent."

Jamie put her down and she ran into the bedroom.

"She looks pretty dressed up for a monster truck party" he said to Eddie.

"She insisted. At least it's one of her play dresses so she can rough and tumble all she wants." She then lowered her voice. "I think she had a little crush on him."

His eyes widened and immediately shook his head. "Nope. Nope. She's still a little baby. No boyfriends until she's 50."

"50?" she replied.

"Ok, 45?"

Eddie rolled her eyes and laughed. "You're so protective of her."

"Do you see how beautiful that little girl is? Of course the boys will be after her. She's just as beautiful as her mom."

Eddie chuckled and blushed. "Thank you. You're too sweet, Jamie."

"I meant every word." He leaned down and captured her lips with his. They broke off the kiss just as Scarlett came bounding back into the room.

"I ready to go!" she announced.

"Hold on a minute munchkin" Jamie said as he let go of Eddie. He bent down to Scarlett's level and looked into her eyes. "I got a question for you. Do you like Georgie?"

"Yeah silly. He my fwend."

"Is he your boyfriend?"

Scarlett gasped. "No silly! I too little for a boyfriend. I have to be bigger! He my fwend. I pwomise."

He pulled the toddler in for a hug. "Good. You don't need a boyfriend." He sighed still hugging her tight. "You need to stay little forever."

"Mr. 'aime?"

"Yes?"

"I like hugs but we gonna be late to party."

He laughed and let her go. "Alright peanut, let's go!"

* * *

"It looks like Scarlett is the only girl here" Eddie whispered as the made their way into the party.

"Hi Georgie!" Scarlett ran up and hugged her young friend. "Happy birtday!"

"Tank you!" he replied. "You wanna pay?"

Scarlett nodded eagerly and ran off with George.

"You must be Scarlett's mom. I'm George's mom, Anne" a lady said walking up to Jamie and Eddie. She shook both of their hands. "It's so nice to meet the two of you."

"I'm Eddie and this is my friend, Jamie."

"Oh! You're the Mr. Jamie she always talks about. I volunteer at the school 3 times a week and she always sits with me during recess talking about you guys."

"All good things I hope?" Jamie replied.

"She absolutely adores you" Anne replied with a smile.

Eddie looked adoringly at Jamie.

"Get yourselves some food" she added. "If you need anything just let me know."

"We will" Eddie said. "Thank you so much for inviting us."

"No problem" Anne replied. "Scarlett and my George are really the best of friends."

* * *

As the party went along, Jamie and Eddie went around introducing themselves to the other parents.

"Meeting these other moms makes me feel like a horrible mom" Eddie said as she sat down on the garden chair.

"Why would you say that?" Jamie replied. "You're a great mom to Scarlett."

"It's just... they volunteer at the school all week, plan all the holiday parties, and they know each kid. I only know about George because of Scarlett!"

He grabbed her hand and leaned down near her chair. "You're a great mom, Eddie. The best one I know. You have a job and you can't be everywhere! Scarlett will love you if you volunteer at the school or not."

She sighed. "Yeah I know. I'm just being hard on myself." She then looked at him and smiled. "Thanks for coming with us. I really appreciate it."

He kissed her hand. "I wouldn't have missed it. Thanks for inviting me."

"Mama! Mr. Jamie!" A sweaty Scarlett came running full speed towards them. She came up and jumped on Jamie's back.

"Hey munchkin!" Jamie said. "You having fun?"

"Yeah!" the toddler replied. "May I have a happy birtday party? It comin soon."

"Really?" Eddie replied with fake astonishment. "You have a birthday?"

Scarlett laughed. "Yeah silly! Me have a birtday, you have a birtday, and Mr. 'aime has one! It's in 'tober!"

"October 19th" Eddie replied. "And Mr. Jamie has his birthday two days after that."

"Mr. 'aime" she put her little hand on his shoulder, "you wanna pwincess party with me? We have our birtdays together!"

Jamie laughed. "Maybe next year, peanut. We'll just have a party for you this year."

"I good with that! I go get cake now!" They laughed as they watched her run off as fast as her tiny legs would go.

"Your birthday is coming up, Jamie. You don't want to do something?"

"I don't really like doing anything for my birthday."

"This will be your first birthday with us being together. If we even are yet..."

"Oh! I haven't asked you to be my girlfriend yet?" he asked jokingly.

"Mmm, not yet" she replied.

"Well this wasn't the ideal place but here I go." He stood her up and looked in her eyes. "Eddie Janko. Will you make me the happiest man in all five boroughs on New York City and be my girlfriend?"

She laughed. "Of course I will."

* * *

The party ended and Jamie ended up carrying a sleeping Scarlett to the car.

"You know we have to officially ask for different partners now right" Jamie said as they drove out of Bay Ridge. "Are you going to be okay with that?"

"Absolutely" she replied. "Are you okay with it?You seem more worried about it than me."

"I'll get used to it." They stopped at a stoplight and he leaned over and gave her a kiss. "We'll do it on Monday morning."

She nodded. "What are you two doing tomorrow?" he asked.

"Nothing much. We usually go over to Hattie's for the day. I might take Scarlett to the pool because it's going to start getting cold out soon."

"Can I come?" Jamie asked.

"Don't you have family dinner?"

"Yeah but I can spend the rest of the time with you guys."

"I don't want you feel like you have to spend time with us."

"I know that. But I want too."

She smiled happily. "Well, okay. We'd love to have you."

* * *

They pulled up to the apartment building and Jamie carried a still sleeping Scarlett up the steps.

"I had a really great time today" Jamie said. "Will you be busy next Saturday? I want to take you on our first official date."

"I think I can squeeze you in to my schedule" she replied jokingly.

"Good. I'll text you with the details."

As they walked down the hallway, Eddie noticed a familiar figure waiting outside her door.

"I'll be damned" Eddie whispered to no one in particular. "That better not be him."

"Who?" Jamie asked.

"Aaron!" she whispered harshly. "What the hell are you doing in front of my door!? You need to leave."

"Eddie hi." He then looked at Jamie. "And who is this? Why is he carrying our daughter?"

_Oh_, Jamie said in his head. Now he knew who he was.

"Can you take her inside please?" Eddie asked him. Jamie nodded. He took her inside and laid her down on the couch so he could stay close to the door just in case something happened.

"Why are you so hostile, Eddie?" Aaron asked. "I just want to see our daughter."

"Our daughter!? Oh no. She's my daughter. You gave up the right of being her father when you ran off."

"I'm sorry about that..."

"Almost three years and all you can say is I'm sorry! No. No."

"I just want to see my kid."

"Why did it take you three years to finally want to see her? I didn't have to do it but I gave you a chance to see her when she was born and when she turned one but you still didn't show. You've had your chances. You're done. Please leave."

"Eddie please" Aaron pleaded. "My parents want to see her."

"Why now? Almost three years later. They didn't give a damn about seeing her before."

"Come on Eddie. Stop being like this. Lighten up. What happened between us is in the past. Just do me this one solid."

"No Aaron. You haven't changed one damn bit. Please leave."

"Have it your way, Eddie. But you're going to regret this. You know the power I have."

"Leave Aaron!"

Aaron turned and head back down the hallway.

* * *

_Next chapter: Jamie finds out more about Eddie's past with Scarlett's dad. _


	20. Chapter 20

Eddie walked in and sighed leaning back against the door.

"I can't believe this" she mumbled to herself.

"You okay?" he said quietly as he walked towards her.

"Just..." she said as the tears started to form, "just hold me please."

He nodded and immediately complied. He rubbed her back and kissed her forehead over and over again.

"You want to talk about it?" he asked.

She looked over at Scarlett who was still sleeping on the couch. "I'm going to put her to bed first."

He nodded and let her go. He watched as she expertly picked up the little girl and carried her away.

* * *

"Ok" Eddie said walking back in the room almost thirty minutes later. "She woke up when I changed her into her pajamas but she's down now."

"Good" Jamie replied from his place on the couch. She sat down beside him and cuddled into his side.

"Where should I start..." she said.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, Eddie. If you prefer to keep it to yourself, that's totally fine with me."

She smiled at his empathy. "No. I want you to know." Eddie took a deep breath. "We met at a college party that my friend invited me to. I was 19, he was 21. It wasn't bad in the beginning. He was a perfect gentleman. Always very respectful of me. Took me out on dates and loved to tell everyone that I was his girlfriend. Then...", she paused and closed her eyes.

"Then what?" Jamie asked as his arm tightened around her.

"I lost my job and my apartment. He was nice enough to let me move in with him. That's when he changed."

"What did he do?" Jamie asked gently. He felt his anger for the man rising by the minute.

"By letting me live with him, he felt like he was doing me a favor. He started to control my every move. What I did, where I went, who I hung out with. And if I didn't do something he liked? Oh man. He was verbally and physically abusive. But I didn't do anything because if I would've left, then where would've I gone? I had gotten another job by that point but I didn't have near enough to get my own place."

Jamie really didn't know how to respond so instead just pulled her in tighter.

"So I stayed" she continued. "I figured that if I just played nice to him then hopefully he'd be nice to me. That didn't work. I think my saving grace was getting pregnant with Scarlett. After I told him, the abuse stopped."

"All of it?"

"Physically? Yes. Verbally? No. As I got bigger, he would call me fat and say I wasn't pretty. I just dealt with it. I felt like once I had her, things would change and he'd come around. We could've actually been a family. Then, when I hit the six month mark, he left. I got a notice on the door that I had ten days to pack up my stuff and leave. In those ten days, I met Hattie and she helped me out so much."

He kissed the top of her head. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry you had to go through that. I wish I could do something..."

"You're doing it right now" she interjected. "You're here with me and Scarlett. Just like you've always been."

He tilted her chin up and gave her a sensuous kiss. "I love you so much" he whispered. "You girls are already my family. You've been for a very long time. I'll always do my best to protect you and keep you safe."

She smiled. "I know you will."

They sat in the quietude for a while before Jamie asked:

"So, what're you going to do about Aaron?"

"I'm not letting him come into her life. Almost three years and now he wants something to do with her? No way. I called him after she was born and told him to come to the hospital to see her. I wanted to at least give him that chance. He hung up on me. And a couple of days before her first birthday, I invited him over to Hattie's because she threw her a birthday party. Again, nothing. So, tell me if you think that should permit me to allow him to see her?"

"No" Jamie immediately replied. "It doesn't. Not at all. You put the opportunity out there more times than you should've. But you did it because you have a great heart, Eddie. That's one of the things I love most about you. And he's a fool because he let the two most amazing people in the world slip through his fingers."

She burrowed closer into his side. "I love you and I appreciate everything you do for us. Thank you, Jamie."

"It's my pleasure" he replied. "You should get to bed, Eddie. It's getting late."

"You still coming back tomorrow?" she asked.

"Only if you'll have me" he replied. "I'll have to leave by three to get to Bay Ridge on time."

She nodded and smiled at him. She stood up and he followed behind as she lead him to the door. "Thanks for coming with us. I really appreciate it and I know Scarlett does too."

"No problem. I always have a great time with you two." He leaned down and gave her one last kiss. "See you tomorrow, Janko. I'll be here around ten."

"Alright." He opened the door and she watched as he walked down the hallway.

* * *

The next morning, Jamie woke up to an early phone call from Frank.

"Dad? Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine. I forgot that you, Danny, and Erin don't get up as early as Pop and I do. I just wanted to ask you if you wanted to come over and have some coffee with your old man before church today? I realized that you and I haven't gotten to talk for awhile."

"Dad, I completely forgot to tell you that I won't be able to make it to church today."

"Really? How come?"

"Uh, there's someone I have to go meet. I promise that I'll be there for dinner."

"Does this "someone" have a name?" Frank asked. "Or names?"

Jamie's eyes widened.

"I just hope you two plan on asking for new partners" Frank continued. "A person would have to be blind not to see what's going on between the two of you. I saw how you were at the hospital when they took Officer Janko's little girl in."

_Frank had just finished speaking with the doctor who had attended to Scarlett and was walking around the corner looking for Jamie when he saw it. Eddie and Scarlett were dozing away on the bed while Jamie sat right by their bedside. His son leaned over and kissed the top of Eddie's head and affectionately reached out and caressed the little girl's cheek while giving her a look he knew all too well. It was the same way he looked at each of his children and grandchildren. He smiled and decided to let them be and reconvene with Jamie later._

"We're going to do it tomorrow morning" Jamie replied. "We just started dating yesterday."

"Good" Frank said. "I'm really happy for you, son. You brighten up around her and that little girl. And I hope some day in the future, you can bring them over so we can get to know them better."

Jamie smiled. "Thank you dad. See you later."

"See you later son. Have a good time."

* * *

"Your dad knows!?" Eddie said in a panic. "What did he say!? Am I fired!?"

They were at the local pool after having breakfast at Hattie's apartment. They were sitting with their feet in the shallow side while keeping a very close eye on Scarlett who was happily wading around in her floaties by them.

He chuckled and put a hand on her arm. "Calm down, Eddie. Everything's fine. He already knew. He said it was pretty evident when I was with you guys at the hospital."

"But everything's okay right? He's not mad?" she asked nervously.

He kissed her cheek. "Everything's perfect, babe. He's fine with it and he said that he hoped that I could bring you two over one day so he could get to know you better."

She started to relax. "Really? I really thought I'd get fired or something like that."

He pulled her into his side. "No, he'd never do that. We're doing everything the right way so there would be no reason for them to fire you or me."

Eddie closed her eyes and leaned her head against his shoulder. "Good."

"So, about our date on Saturday..." Eddie said after awhile.

"What about it?" he asked.

"What're we doing?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out, Janko" he replied.

"What! I have to know something so I can figure out what to wear!"

"Just wear you a nice dress and some shoes you can get around in. That's all I'm going to say for now."

She nodded. "Noted." She then called out to Scarlett. "You ready to get out, baby?"

"Not yet! Five more minutes, pwease!"

"Okay. Five more minutes." Scarlett nodded happily and continued to wade around. She was truly a water baby.

"Do you ever see yourself having more kids, Eddie?" Jamie asked.

She pursed her lips for a moment. "Yeah I do. I grew up as an only child and it wasn't that fun. I would really love for Scarlett to have a brother or sister she can get close too."

He smiled and made a mental note of that for down the road. He wasn't trying to get ahead of himself but it did make his heart happy to know that there was a good chance it could be the two of them having one of their own in the future.

Eddie decided to throw out a question of her own. "Do you see yourself staying in Brooklyn Heights? Or could you imagine living somewhere else?"

"Hm" Jamie mumbled. He thought about it for a moment. "It's probably a long shot but I've always wanted to move back to Bay Ridge" he finally answered. "I loved growing up there and I've always seen myself eventually settling down there."

She smiled. "Because of your dad?"

"That and mainly because I just really liked it. It's definitely a future goal of mine."

Eddie nodded. "If you don't mind, I do have another question that I've been meaning to ask you."

"Ok shoot."

"What's been your longest relationship?" she asked. "You obviously know mine was Aaron."

"Sydney Davenport" he replied. "We met at Harvard."

"Oh really? How long were you guys together?" she asked.

"Long enough for me to propose."

Eddie's eyes widened. "Wow. What happened?"

"Looking back in it, we were still very young. I don't think either of us were ready for a commitment like that but at the time, it was because she didn't like the idea of me putting myself in danger by being a cop. We'd been drifting apart even before I became a cop. She was supportive but at the end, she couldn't handle it anymore. She went off to work in London and that was that. I haven't heard from her since."

She reached out and patted his hand. "I'm sorry that happened. I kind of feel bad that asked."

He leaned over and kissed her softly. "Don't be. I'm glad that you asked and now you know. The best thing I have now is you and that little fish over there with the pink floaties."

She chuckled. "Yeah? I'm very glad to hear that. Do you have anymore questions for me?"

"Mmmm, not now. If I have anymore, I'll surely let you know." Eddie nodded.

"Ok" Scarlett said floating over to them. "I had enough. No more."

Jamie chuckled and plucked her out of the water. Eddie went to their bag and grabbed a towel to wrap the little girl in.

"There you go bug" Eddie said after she wrapped the towel around Scarlett. The toddler yawned and sleepily leaned against Jamie's chest.

He smiled and kissed the top of her head. "I guess it's time to go" he said to Eddie.

"Yep, it looks like it's nap time for someone."

They gathered their things and made their way back to Eddie's apartment.

* * *

"It's almost three, Jamie" Eddie said as she came out from laying the sleeping toddler in the bedroom. "Shouldn't you get going?"

"Oh damn" he replied. "You're right. I still need to get back to my place and shower." He stood up and walked towards her.

"After tomorrow morning, we won't be partners anymore" he said. He wrapped his arms around her waist while she placed hers around his neck. "How do you feel about it?"

"Mmm, I mean it's a bummer but if it means that we can have more days like this without having to watch our backs then I'm all for it."

He nodded and gave her a kiss. "I better head out. See you bright and early, Janko. Give a kiss to the munchkin for me."

She smiled. "I will. See you tomorrow."

He winked at her and walked out.

* * *

_Sorry for all the scattered updates with my fanfics. I'll try to get on a more consistent schedule soon. Please review! _


	21. Chapter21

"So," Jamie said he pulled the patrol car on the road, "Your old man was a cop too?"

"Yeah." They ended up pairing Jamie with a rookie named Jenna Caysen who had just graduated from the academy almost nine months back. She was a young, vibrant woman who seemed eager and willing to learn."He was a sergeant at the 75 in Brooklyn. He ended up having to retire a few years back because he got shot on duty and it messed him up big time. My brothers are cops too."

"That kind of sounds like my family" Jamie replied. "I have a brother who's a detective at the 54, my other brother was a detective as well but he passed away, and my sister works in the DA's office."

"Woah. Isn't your dad the commissioner?"

"Yes, he is."

"I bet you don't have it easy, huh? Being the commissioner's kid?"

"I mean, it's not a bad gig." He glanced at her. "My dad has definitely gone to great lengths to make sure my brother and I get treated like everyone else. We've never and will never get special treatment."

"I get that" she replied glancing over at him. "Not completely but I do understand it to an extent. I know this doesn't compare but when I was little, my dad coached my softball team and I absolutely hated it. I loved the sport but I just didn't like him coaching me because I always felt like he would be harder on me than anyone else. So, in your situation, it kind of feels like your dad is the coach of the NYPD."

"Yeah, it feels something like that but I've come to accept it."

She accepted his answer and turned to look out the window.

* * *

Meanwhile, Eddie was massaging her temples in frustration while her new partner dragged on about his love for wooden sail boats and promised to show her pictures of them at lunch.

James Cunningham was a sweet older officer who many went to for advice on the job. But no one ever dared to get stuck in a conversation with him because he could talk for hours if you'd let him.

"What about you, Janko?" he said finally changing the subject much to Eddie's relief. "I don't know much about you. I only know the things I've heard."

"Are they bad?"

"Nah. They're all good things."

"Well," Eddie began, "I have a little girl. Her name is Scarlett and she's almost three. And I live in Queens. Those are honestly the most interesting things about me."

He chuckled. "There has to be more than that. Is your little girl your only one?"

"Yeah, it's just her. She's my only one. Do you have kids?"

"I have one too. My Laila is 20 now."

"20!?"Eddie replied. "Wow. You don't look old enough to have a 20 year old. I can't even imagine Scarlett being 20."

"Why thank you. It does go by very fast. It goes from dropping them off at their first day of school to watching them walk across the stage and wondering where the hell the time went. Cherish every moment with your little girl." He smiled to himself."Her mom and I got married at 19. Thankfully, my Laila is taking her time and going to school."

Eddie smiled. "That's good. So, you and your wife were high school sweethearts?"

"You betcha. 25 years together."

"That's so sweet. I hope to have that one day."

He glanced at her and smiled. "You will. Can I ask you a question?"

"Shoot."

"Are you and Reagan a thing?"

Eddie peered at him. "What have you heard?"

"More like what have I seen" he replied. "I may have seen you and Reagan saying goodbye to one another a few days ago."

"Well... then that answers your question."

He smiled. "That Reagan is a good kid. I haven't talked with him much but he is a pretty stand up guy. You two will be good together."

"Thanks. Now can I ask you a question?"

"Go for it."

"What kind of lunch situation are we dealing with?"

He started laughing which in turn made Eddie laugh._ This might not be so bad after all,_ she thought to herself.

* * *

Later, when she finally got off work, Eddie made her way over to Hattie's to pick up Scarlett. Due to Hattie's health scare a few months prior, Eddie hadn't left the girl with her as often as she used to. Even though she'd never voice it, Eddie could tell that Hattie was more tired now.

"I brought your groceries." Eddie placed the bag on the counter and kissed Hattie's cheek. "How was she? No problems at school?"

"No. Her teacher said she was perfect as always. She's watching her cartoons. Sit down and take a load off. I made a Bundt cake."

Eddie happily sat and accepted her slice.

"How was work today? I know you were telling me now that you and Jamie are together, you need new partners."

"Yeah. I haven't gotten to talk to Jamie yet about his but I actually like my partner. He's a lot better than I thought."

"What do you mean?" Hattie asked curiously.

"Well, around the precinct, he has a reputation for talking too much. Like a lot! At first, he did that while talking about his love for wooden sailboats but when we actually started talking about our lives, kids, and other things, he turned out not to be so bad. He's really sweet."

"That's great, sweetheart. How are you and Jamie doing? How long have you two been together now?"

"It's only been less than a week, Hattie. That reminds me... do you think you could watch her for me on Saturday? Jamie is-"

"Yes" she interjected. "He called me around lunchtime and asked if I would."

Eddie smiled. "Really?"

"Yep and told me all about what he has planned. You're going to have a great time baby. And before you even ask me, the answer is a no. I've been sworn to secrecy" Hattie said with a sly smile.

"Dang it! He won't tell me anything."

Hattie smiled and put a finger over her lips. "Sworn to secrecy."

Eddie felt her phone buzz in her pocket. "Let me take this" she said stepping into the hallway. She pulled out her phone and smiled when she saw that it was Jamie.

"Hey you!" she answered.

"Hey Ed. How was work? Who's your partner?"

"Cunningham."

"Oh. How was that? I bet your ears almost fell off."

"Actually, he wasn't that bad. He's actually really nice, Jamie. Just likes to talk quite a bit."

"Well, that's good. I'm glad you two got along."

"Who's your partner?" she asked.

"That new rookie, Jenna Caysen."

"Oh." Eddie had actually been chosen to be sort of a 'mentor' for Jenna when she had first arrived at the 12th. They had gotten along just fine in the beginning but after a while, Jenna became a little too much to deal with. She would excessively call and text Eddie with the most random questions about police work and things that didn't even pertain to it. She didn't mind questions but not at 3:30 in the morning when she'd have to be at work by 6:00. She eventually requested that Jenna be mentored by someone else.

"Eddie? You still there?"

"Yeah" she replied. "I just zoned out for a minute. Was everything good with Jenna?

"It was. She's kind of serious but I think she'll loosen up."

"Mhmm."

"In other news, what're you up to?" he asked.

"No. I'm actually at Hattie's place picking up Scarlett. We were just sitting here talking."

"Alright. Well, I'll let you go. Say hi to them for me."

"I will. You coming over today?"

"No, not today. I think you've had enough of my face for the last couple of days. You probably ready to have a few days to yourself" he said jokingly.

"Jamie, we lived together for like three months and I was fine. You can come if you want."

"I actually have to go to the grocery store because I really haven't been home. I'll definitely swing by tomorrow night.

"Is everything going okay, though?" he asked. " Are you Scarlett, and Hattie okay?

She smiled. "We're fine. I better go because I need to get home and give Scarlett a bath. Call you later?"

"Definitely. I love you."

"I love you too. Talk to you later."

She hung up the phone and smiled to herself. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Hattie peeking in at her from the kitchen.

Eddie walked back in and sat down. "What?"

"Nothing. I'm just thinking of a good time to start planning the wedding" she chided.

"Get out of here with all that" Eddie laughed. "We're not even close to even thinking about marriage yet."

"It's coming" Hattie said with a smile. "I feel it."

"If you say so."

* * *

_Here's another chapter! __I'm going to try to update on a weekly basis especially since a lot of us will be stuck inside for the time being. Maybe even twice a week if I can get it done. Stay safe. Please read and review! _


	22. Ch22

That Saturday, Eddie walked around her apartment frantically getting ready for their date. Don't get her wrong, she was very excited but it was a little nerve wracking. It was the first time her and Jamie were truly going to be able to be alone.

"Mama!" Scarlett said running into the room. "You ready?"

"Not yet, baby. Your Nanny should almost be here so go wait on her."

She looked up at her mother, dumbfounded. "I no go with you? I no go with you and Mr. 'aime?"

Eddie bent down to her daughter's level and shook her head, "No, baby. You're not going with us. It's just going to be me and Mr. Jamie."

The tears started to pool in the toddler's blue eyes, "Why? I want to go! No leave me here! Pwease mama!"

Eddie pulled the little girl into her arms, "It's only going to be for a little while, sweetheart. Nanny will be here with you. I'll be back soon and I'll even take you somewhere special tomorrow."

"No! I wanna go with you!" she cried as the tears ran down her small, angelic face. "Pwease mama! Pwease!"

Eddie glanced at the little girl, worried. She'd been very clingy for the past few days. It was very uncommon behavior for her. She was more of the "don't-let-the-door-hit-you-on-the-way-out" type of kid.

"Come on baby." She gathered up her little girl and sat on the bed, cuddling her close. "What's wrong, huh? You don't want mommy to leave?"

"I wanna go to," she replied with a sniffle. "I be good, mama. I pwomise."

"What if I take you somewhere special tomorrow?" Eddie asked again as she ran her fingers through her daughter's blonde tresses. "We can do whatever you want."

"Go to park?" she asked.

"Yes, we can go to the park."

"Ice cream too?" the toddler asked with hopeful, watery eyes looking up at her mother.

Eddie smiled and kissed Scarlett's forehead, "We can get ice cream too."

That seemed to be enough for her as she cuddled into her mother's neck and closed her eyes. Eddie rocked her back and forth until she heard a small knock on the door signaling Hattie's arrival.

"Hey Hattie," Eddie said as she opened the door.

"Hi sweetheart," she replied stepping inside. "You look great!"

"Thanks," Eddie walked into the living room and sat on the couch.

"What's wrong with you? And what's wrong with baby girl?" Hattie asked looking at the toddler who had a firm grip on her mother.

Eddie sighed, "I guess she thought that she was going to go with Jamie and I but when I told her she wasn't, she started crying."

"Poor baby," Hattie replied.

"She's never cried like that ever. Literally begging me not to leave," Eddie said glancing at her daughter. "I told you that she hasn't been letting me out of her sight for the past few days. I don't know if I should even go anymore."

"You're gonna go. You deserve it," Hattie said firmly. "She'll be just fine. You go have a good time with Jamie. I'll take care of her."

"Okay," Eddie replied not very convinced. "I told her that we'd go to the park and get some ice cream tomorrow. It's been awhile since we've had a mommy-daughter day."

Hattie nodded, "That sounds good. She'll have a great time."

_Knock. Knock._

Hattie smirked over at Eddie, "He's here. Hand me the baby and you get the door."

She carefully transferred her now sleeping daughter over to her beloved Nanny then stood up straight and straightened out her dress.

"How do I look?" Eddie asked nervously as she walked to the door.

"Like a dream," Hattie replied sincerely. "Now stop stalling and open it! You've kept that boy waiting long enough."

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and opened the door to Jamie, looking as handsome as ever, standing on the other side.

"Hi," she said softly as she took him in. He had his best suit on with a bouquet of flowers in each hand. One of white roses and lilacs and a smaller version to compliment it.

"Hey," he replied. He walked forward and kissed her cheek. "You look amazing, Eddie."

She smiled, "Thank you. Come on in."

He walked in and she shut the door behind him. He turned around and held out the bigger bouquet to her, "These are for you."

Eddie took the flowers, "You're too sweet. Thank you."

"No problem," he replied. "Where's peanut? These are for her," he said gesturing to the smaller bouquet in hand.

She pointed to the little girl who was still sleeping on Hattie.

"Aw man," he walked over and kissed Hattie's cheek then kissed the top of Scarlett's head. "I was looking forward to seeing her reaction to the flowers. How are you, Hattie?"

"I'm good, sweetie. Don't worry about anything here. You two have a good time."

"We will," Jamie replied. He looked back at Eddie, "Ready to go?"

She nodded as she finished putting the flowers into the vase. She walked over and hugged Hattie and then kissed her little girl. Jamie, always the gentleman, helped her slip on her light weight coat.

"Have a good time!" Hattie called out as they made their way out the door.

He held out his arm that she could hold onto as they walked down the stairs. "Where are you taking me, Reagan?" she asked.

Jamie held a finger to his lips, "Not saying. You'll see when we get there."

Eddie huffed and rolled her eyes, "Fine."

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Eddie gasped as they pulled up in front of The River Cafe, one of the best restaurants in Brooklyn, which had an exceptional view of the Brooklyn Bridge.

"You didn't have to do this, Jamie," she said as he opened her car door. "It's too much."

"Anything for you," he replied as he took her hand and helped her out.

She smiled and quickly pecked his lips, "You're amazing."

He grabbed her hand and led her inside.

"Reagan for two," he said to the hostess who happily greeted them.

She flipped through the reservation book and found the name, "Reagan for two at 7:15. Let me go make sure your table is ready and I'll come back and get you."

"Thank you," Jamie and Eddie replied in unison.

He turned back to Eddie and wrapped her up in his arms. "How do you like it?" he asked.

"Ask me once we've eaten something," she replied jokingly. "Seriously Jamie, this will probably cost you a fortune. We don't have to eat here."

"Only the best for you, Eddie. You deserve this and even more."

"Reagan for two," the hostess said calling them over. "Follow me."

They followed her to the other side of the restaurant where their table was placed right in front of the long, bay window overlooking the beautifully lit Brooklyn Bridge. Jamie immediately pulled out her chair and helped her sit down.

"Thank you Jamie," she said as she settled in. He went to the other side and sat in front of her.

"Your waiter will be here in just a second," the hostess said after they got seated. "Is there anything can do for you at the moment?"

"No, I think we're good for now. Thank you," Jamie replied.

The hostess walked away and they both took in the atmosphere.

"Jamie, this is absolutely incredible!" Eddie said looking around. "This view is amazing. I've never been in a place this fancy before. Have you?"

"Once," he replied. "A few years back when some Harvard buddies came into town." He reached across the table and took her hand, "You look absolutely stunning tonight."

She looked down and blushed, "Thank you."

They sat hand in hand until the waiter came by and took their orders. A glass of Pinot Noir for Eddie and one of Merlot for Jamie with an appetizer of Wagyu Steak Tartare to start off with.

"This is so good," Eddie said as she finished off her half. "I've never had food like this before."

"I'm glad you're enjoying it," Jamie replied giving her a smile.

"So...uh... how've you been?" she asked. She silently kicked herself on how nervous she sounded. "We haven't seen much of each other in the past few days. Jenna treating you good?"

"She's alright," he replied. "Good partner but still has a lot to learn. How's Cunningham? You sounded like you wanted to choke him out that first day."

Eddie chuckled, "I almost did. We're becoming buddies now. He just really likes having someone to talk to."

Jamie smiled, "I'm glad that it's getting better.

The waiter passed by the table and brought their main course. A rack of lamb for Jamie and lobster for Eddie. After finishing off their plates, the waiter brought out a plate with an assortment of different desserts.

"On the house from our chef," the waiter said setting it down in front of them.

"Woah," Jamie and Eddie said eyeing the beautiful display.

"Chef Roy is an old friend of Commissioner Reagan and wanted to treat you guys. Enjoy!"

"Please tell him thank you," Jamie said.

"We really appreciate it," Eddie added.

The waiter walked off and Jamie grabbed his glass and gestured for Eddie to grab hers.

"Cheers to us and whatever the future will bring," he said holding up his glass.

She smiled and clinked her glass to his, "Cheers."

* * *

After dinner, he led her outside and insisted they walk the bridge to let their food go down before he took her to their next destination.

"I'd love to Jamie but these heels are killing me."

"Say no more," he walked her over to the car, opened the door, and sat her inside. He walked over to the opened trunk and came back holding a pair of familiar Converse that coincidentally, matched her dress.

She laughed, "Where'd you get those?"

"I had Scarlett do a little mission for me when I dropped by a few nights ago. You were in the kitchen when I had her sneak them into my backpack."

"How'd you get her to do it?" she asked.

"A piece of candy."

Eddie shook her head, "Bribing my kid. I got to teach her to bargain for more than just candy."

Jamie shrugged, "It worked. I'm honestly surprised that she didn't tell you." He bent down and started undoing the buckles to her heels.

"I can take off my own shoes, Jamie."

"Don't worry. I got this."

She smiled as she watched him take off her heels with such care then placed the other shoes on her feet. He let her tie up the laces.

"Ready?" he asked helped her stand.

"Yep," she reached down and grabbed his hand.

He chuckled, "You're like ten feet shorter now."

She smacked his arm, "Shut up!"

They made their way to the bridge and were glad to see that there wasn't as many people as they expected.

Jamie glanced over at Eddie and took her in. Her long blonde tresses were flowing, her blue eyes were shining, and she looked completely at peace. He's known it for a while but now it was confirmed. She was it. Eddie Janko was the person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He couldn't imagine not having her and Scarlett in his life.

"Eddie?"

She looked over at him and smiled, "Yeah?"

He stopped and slid his arms around her, locking his hands behind her back, "I love you.

Eddie slid her arms around his neck, pressing closely to him. "I love you too."

He leaned in and kissed her gently, unhurried and still keeping in mind that they were in public. She grabbed a fistful of his collar and pressed herself even closer to him, to the point where you couldn't even fit a sheet of paper between the two of them. He groaned softly, low in his throat, and let his hands start to roam down her back.

After a few minutes, he pulled back and rested his forehead on hers, "I think... uh... we need to take this back to the car."

She nodded quickly, "Yeah."

As they were walking back, it started growing cool so Jamie slipped off his suit jacket and slipped it over Eddie shoulders, seeing that she'd left her coat back in the car.

"Thanks," she said with a squeeze to his hand.

When the car was finally in their sight, they both practically ran to it, like two young and in love teenagers. They quickly slipped inside and started what they off on the bridge.

The air in the car was hot and humid as he and Eddie were warped into each other. She moaned softly as he ran his hands down her back and over the swell of her bottom. He pulled her over the gear shift and leaned the seat back as she landed on top of him.

"Jamie," she breathed. She broke off the kiss and gazed down at him, placing her hands on his shoulders.

"Huh?" he replied resting his hands on her waist. "Are you okay?"

"I'm sorry... I can't. I'm so sorry."

It took a minute before he shifted the chair upright and gently placed her back into the passenger's side seat. He leaned over and pecked her lips.

"Don't apologize. It's okay, Eddie. _I'm _sorry. I took it too far, not even taking into account how you'd feel."

"Are you mad?" she asked nervously.

"Honey, not at all," he said reassuringly. He reached over and ran a hand through her hair. "There's no reason for me to be upset. When you're ready, I'll be ready. It doesn't matter if it's months or years from now. I'll wait."

She leaned over and hugged him close, "I love you."

He kissed her cheek, "I love you too." He saw her phone lighting up in the cup holder. "You're getting a call, Eddie."

She sat back down and grabbed the phone, "It's Hattie."

Jamie grabbed his phone and scrolled through as she took the call.

"Oh no. Really?" he heard Eddie say. "We'll be right there. I'll swing by the pharmacy and get some. Thanks Hattie."

"What happened?" he asked as she hung up.

"Scarlett threw up twice and has a fever," she said worriedly. "I had feeling something was wrong. I'm sorry Jamie but I really need to go home."

He nodded, turned on the car, and put it in drive. "What pharmacy do you want to stop at?" he asked.

"The one on Fremont. About two streets over from my place. Thanks for doing this."

"No problem," he replied reaching over and holding her hand. "I'll doing anything for that little girl. And for you."

She gave a small smile and squeezed his hand.

* * *

Almost an hour later, after getting stuck in Saturday night traffic and still having to run to the pharmacy, they got back to the apartment to find Hattie rocking the sick toddler after she'd thrown up for the third time.

"Oh sweetheart," Eddie said as she scooped up the whimpering toddler and swayed her back and forth. "Thanks for keeping her Hattie. Do you want to stay?"

"I'm good, honey," she replied. "I need to get home because I'm meeting some friends in the morning." She kissed Eddie's cheek and Scarlett's hand that was hanging limply. "Call me if you need me back. I'll come right over."

"Do you want me to take you home, Hattie?" Jamie offered.

She kissed his cheek, "No honey, I'll be fine. It's not that far. I need to walk anyways. Have a good night."

"You too," he replied. Hattie opened the door and walked out.

Eddie kicked off her shoes and tended to her daughter. She was in full mama bear mode now.

"Do you need me to help with anything?" Jamie asked as Eddie walked around the living room, trying to soothe the little girl.

"No," she flashed a quick smile at him, "I have it handled. I'm about to bathe her to get her temperature down then put her to bed."

"Okay." He walked over and kissed Eddie's lips then placed on kiss on Scarlett's sweaty forehead. "I'll swing by tomorrow morning with breakfast and a couple of treats for the munchkin so I can see how she's doing. Call me if you need anything. Don't hesitate."

"Alright." Her and a now snoozing Scarlett walked him to the door. "I had such a great time today, Jamie. I can't thank you enough."

He grabbed her free hand, "You can thank me by saying yes to another date in a few weeks once Scarlett is better because she's coming along too. I just hope my other date says yes once she gets better," he said jokingly.

"I don't think you'll have anything to worry about," she laughed.

"I better get going," he said kissing two of them again. "See you girls in the morning."

She smiled, "Bye."

She watched him walk down the stairwell and disappear into the night. The night ended in a way that neither of them expected but they didn't care. They're together now and that's all that matters.

* * *

_I promise I will try to do better at updating this story. Thanks to all of you who love it! Read and review!_


	23. Ch23

Eddie let out a big yawn as she laid back on the couch, exhausted. She had a pretty long night with Scarlett, who'd woken up almost every hour having a coughing fit or gagging, wanting to throw up. After a few hours of restlessness, the little girl had finally fallen asleep around 5:30 in the morning.

As she was about to fall asleep herself, she felt her phone come to life beside her. _Jamie, _the caller I.D. read.

"Hello?" she answered, letting out another yawn.

"Hey!" he responded. "Long night?"

"Yeah." She glanced at the opened bedroom door, where she could see Scarlett, who was still sleeping, "My poor baby is so sick. We were up for quite a few hours because she couldn't stop coughing or gagging. I'm probably going to take her to the doctor later, depending on how she wakes up."

"Poor munchkin," Jamie said sadly. "I hate that she feels so lousy. Is it still okay if I come by with breakfast?"

She smiled, "It's fine with me but I don't want her to get you sick."

"I'll be fine," he replied. "I'm just going to drop it off anyways because I've been summoned to Bay Ridge by my dad. He says that he needs help with a few things."

"Oh, okay." Eddie smiled softly as she remembered their date, the night before, "I had such a great time last night, Jamie. I need to find a way to thank you."

"You don't have to thank me for anything. I'm glad you had such a good time."

"Well... Let me cook for you!" she offered excitedly. "It won't be as good the food last night but you'll definitely leave here with a full belly."

"Your cooking is great, Eddie. We lived together for three months, remember? I'll love anything you cook."

"Let's make it for your birthday?" she asked. "Or maybe the night before because I don't want to take you away from your family that day, I'm sure they have plans for you."

"All they're going to do is have a cake, probably one or two gifts, and Danny's probably going to examine my head for grey hairs so he can make fun of me," he replied. "... But I'd love to come over for a birthday dinner."

"Great!" she said already making the plans in her head. "I can't wait to do it for you." All of a sudden, she heard a cry from the other room, signaling a sick toddler needing her mama's attention. "Hey Jamie, Scarlett's waking up so I have to go."

"Alright. I'm about to pick up the food. I'll be there soon."

"Okay, thank you. Bye."

* * *

"How'd it go last night?" Hattie asked curiously as she cuddled a still tired Scarlett, who was slowly looking and feeling better after taking some more medicine and having the breakfast that her "Mr. 'aime" brought over. "I think I saw his car pulling away when I came over here."

"He dropped off some breakfast for us," Eddie replied as she cleaned up the few dishes that they'd used. "He would've stayed but his dad needed him for something."

"That's a sweet man," Hattie said. "But you didn't answer my question."

Eddie turned away, smiling as she remembered their night, "It was wonderful. He was a complete gentleman throughout. We went to The River Cafe then took a walk on the bridge."

"Ohhhh... The River Cafe, how fancy!"

"I was a little worried because of how pricey it is there but he kept telling me not to. The food was to die for and the view from our table was so beautiful. He really pulled out all the stops for me. He had other things planned but then you called about Scarlett so I came straight back. But it was honestly the best night I've ever had."

"Is he the one, baby?" she asked. "Do you see a future with him?"

"I see it _all_ with him," Eddie responded. "He's just so great and more than I could ever ask for with Scarlett. Not many guys would be too thrilled about a two year old in the picture but not him. He's embraced both of us. I love him... I really do."

Hattie grinned. She hasn't seen her Eddie this happy in a long time, "I couldn't be happier for you, sweetheart. I've always prayed for a good man to come to you and now he finally has. That Jamie is one of the good ones."

"He definitely is."

* * *

"Dad?" Jamie said as he walked into the house. "You here?"

"He's up in your room!" Pop said from the kitchen. "Go on up."

Jamie jogged up the stairs and walked down the hall, turning to the third bedroom to the right, his childhood bedroom, "Hey dad," he said walking in.

Frank looked up from the boxes he was sorting through, "Hi son. Did you just get here?"

"Yeah. Pop told me to come up. What'd you need help with?"

"We're wanting to declutter the house so I thought I'd let you go through your things and see what you want to keep."

"Oh, alright," Jamie replied, wondering why he wanted to do it now instead of later when he'd already be here.

He spent a few minutes sorting through the boxes, finding old treasures that he hadn't seen in a long time like an old football, a second grade science project that was in great condition after so many years, and an old blanket that was his constant companion in his first few years of life.

"So, how've you been, Jamie? Frank asked, sitting down on the bed. "I haven't seen much of you in these past few weeks, besides when you come here for dinner. Been busy?"

"Yeah," Jamie replied. "I got a new partner... and Eddie and I have officially started seeing each other."

"That's great," Frank replied. "I wondered if you'd already done it yet."

"We went out on our first official date last night. She's really special to me, dad."

Frank smiled when he saw the glow on his son's face. It's been a long time since he's seen him this happy, not even with Sydney.

"I'm glad, son," Frank said as he patted Jamie on the shoulder. "And when she's ready, we'll be happy to welcome her here."

"Thank you, dad."

"How do you get along with her daughter?" Frank asked. "Scarlett, isn't it?"

Jamie nodded, "It's Scarlett. We really do get along great. She's very social so she's been comfortable with me from the get-go. Definitely very active and chatty," he laughed. "She wears Eddie out on a daily basis. And me too, in the time that I've spent with her."

"Sounds a lot like you when you were young," Frank said with a chuckle. "Your mom didn't know what to do with you sometimes. She'd try to hand you off to Danny or Erin for a few minutes but they wouldn't have any of it."

"Ha! Yeah..." Jamie trailed off.

"I see how much you care about her. It's different than it was with Sydney, isn't it?"

Jamie smiled, "It is. I love her dad. We haven't been dating for long but I can't imagine going on without her and Scarlett in my life."

"That's the way I felt about your mom. Once I knew, I knew." Frank sat in thought for a minute then got up and walked out of the room. Jamie looked after him, confused.

A few minutes later, Frank walked back in, clutching a small black, velvet box, "I know this probably isn't your radar just yet but take this." He put the box in Jamie's hand, closing his fingers over it, "Do whatever you want with it. I know Sydney wore it but it would really be great to see something done with her ring, in whatever way you'd want to give it to her."

"Thank you, dad. It's not on my radar yet but it's definitely in the plans down the road."

Frank hugged him, then went about helping him sort through the boxes.

* * *

"Hey you," Eddie said, as she settled into bed for the night, with Scarlett already sleeping beside her. "You at home already?"

"Yeah," he replied, drying off after stepping out of the shower. "How was your day? How's Scarlett doing?"

She smiled down at the little girl, running her fingers through her hair, "She's a lot better now. Her fever is down and the vomiting went away, thank god."

"That's good," he replied with relief. "I was worried when I saw her this morning but I'm glad that she's doing better now. I've been meaning to ask you, what're you going to do for her birthday? It's coming up."

"A friend of mine actually owns Bounce N Play in Astoria and agreed to lower the price for me. We've been there for a few birthday parties and she absolutely loved it. I'm going to cook your birthday dinner Saturday night then do her party Sunday afternoon."

"I'm happy that you want to cook for me but wouldn't that be a lot in one weekend? The dinner for me then the munchkin's party?"

"I can handle it. Hattie's gonna help me out. She's going to take Scarlett on Saturday night so we can have our time together then will bring her to the party on Sunday."

"Alright," he said, taking note to ask her later about helping with the party. "Am I invited?"

She chuckled, "Of course you are. But you don't have to come Jamie. You should spend the day with your family since it'll be your birthday. It's just going to be a bunch of little kids and moms hanging around for a few hours."

"But I still want to go, though!" he exclaimed. "I'll go for a little bit before I head over to my dad's house."

"Okay," she relented. Eddie did want him to go to Scarlett's party but felt that it was more important for him to be with his family on his special day. She let out a big yawn.

"You tired?" He said.

"Big time," she replied, trying to cover another yawn.

"Well, I'm going to let you go so you can get some sleep. Maybe we can meet up for lunch sometime this week?"

"I'd love that."

"Great! I'll call and let you know. Goodnight, babe. I love you."

"I love you too. Bye."

"Bye Eddie."

* * *

_Next, Eddie juggles trying to pull off the best three year old birthday party for Scarlett and a romantic night for her and Jamie. _


	24. Chapter 24

"Alright peanut," Eddie said, pushing Scarlett in the buggy down the aisles of the party store, "What colors should we decorate your party?"

"All dem!" she exclaimed, pointing at the decorations.

"You want all the colors?" Eddie asked.

Scarlett nodded, reaching out to try and grab stuff from the shelves.

"Alright," Eddie said. "Rainbow party it is."

They went through the aisles, grabbing packages of different colors of balloons, streamers, cups, plates, and cutlery. As they stood in the checkout line, Scarlett pointed to a race car balloon that was on display.

"Dat one, mama!" she said excitedly.

She looked at it, confused, "You want that one for your party?"

"No mama. For Mr. 'aime birtday. Pwease," she begged, clasping her little hands together.

Eddie smiled, kissing her forehead, "Sure. We can get it for Mr. Jamie."

She clapped happily, "Yay! Tank you!"

* * *

Jamie stood in the aisle of the toy store, scratching his head, a little overwhelmed. There was so many options of toys for little girls. Scarlett was a simple, non-fussy kid who he was sure that would be happy with anything he got for her but he wanted to make sure that he got something that would actually interest her. He pulled out his phone and speed dialed number six.

"Hello?"

"Hey Erin," Jamie replied.

"Oh hey. I haven't heard from you in forever. Is everything okay?" she asked.

"Everything is fine," he assured. "I just need some help with something."

"What is it?" Erin asked curiously.

"What kind of toy would a three year old little girl like?"

Erin laughed, "What? Who are you buying for, Jamie?

He realized that he hadn't clued in anyone besides his father that he and Eddie were finally together. "I'm buying for Eddie's daughter, Scarlett. She's having a birthday party on Sunday and I was planning on going for a little while before I head over to dad's house."

"Oh," Erin replied, with a smile. Frank had sort of spilled the news about Jamie and Eddie's budding romance. She was excited for her little brother. It had been a long time since he'd been with anyone so as long as she made him happy, that's all that mattered. "Well, what does her daughter like?"

"Wait!" Jamie exclaimed. "That's it?! You have nothing else to say? Who told you?"

"Told me what?" she teased.

"About me and Eddie."

"Well, you just did but I do have my sources."

"It was dad," Jamie grunted.

"Yes, it was him. I'm happy for you, Jamie. And I hope you can bring them over soon so we can meet them properly."

"I will eventually," he said. "We just started dating."

"Alright," she replied, getting back to the task at hand. "Let me ask again, what does her daughter like? Is she really girly or a tomboy?"

"A bit of both. She loves a good dress but also likes to roughhouse with the boys too. The kid has endless energy."

"Sounds like my type of girl," Erin said, reminiscing on when Nicky was that young. "Get her one of those little tricycles. She will need to learn how to ride a bike eventually. I could take Nicky out for hours and bring her home completely worn out from all the pedaling."

Jamie looked around and spotted one that he knew Scarlett would love, "I think I found the perfect one. Thanks sis."

* * *

After his trip to the toy store, he stopped by Eddie's apartment to spend some time with her and Scarlett since he hadn't seen them in a few days.

"Hi Mr. 'aime!" Scarlett exclaimed, running to him as he walked through the door. "You here!"

He picked her up and kissed her cheek, "Yeah, I'm here munchkin! I missed you."

"Me too! You wanna see the stuff for my birtday party?! Me and mama went to store."

"Of course," he said, putting her down.

"Yay! I be back." He and Eddie laughed as they watched her run to the other room.

He then turned to Eddie, "Come here." He grabbed her wrist and pulled her into him. She smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck, giving him a long, soulful kiss after a few days of missing each other.

"Mmm. I needed that," he breathed, pulling away. He rested his hands on her hips, "How've you girls been?"

"Good," she replied. "Just a lot of birthday party prep since it's on Sunday. She's so excited about it. Hattie's even making her an outfit."

"Ah, that'll be cute," he said. "Do you need some help the party? Setting up? Taking things over there that day?"

"Thank you for offering but we're good. Hattie and I have most of it covered. Cunningham is helping me too. His granddaughter is in Scarlett's class and is coming to the party so he offered."

"If Cunningham's helping then at least let me do something, Eddie. I know it's my birthday that day but I don't care. I want to help."

Eddie kissed his cheek, "This is why I love you so much, Reagan. Always putting others before yourself. Tell you what, I actually don't have anyone to pick up her cake from the bakery so you can be in charge of that."

He nodded, "I got it covered. Just tell me where and what time."

"Okay, I back!" Scarlett called out, dragging a bag behind her as she walked into the room. "I got it all. I show you now!"

"I guess I'll start on dinner while you two do that," Eddie said with a chuckle, pointing at Scarlett who was impatiently tapping her foot staring at Jamie, wanting him to sit on the couch. "Have fun."

* * *

A couple of hours later, after dinner and putting Scarlett to bed, Jamie and Eddie sat on the ground on the living room, making goody bags for the party.

"I didn't know how much really went into a little kid party like this," he said, placing a few pieces of candy that he had on his lap and a toy in a small, plastic rainbow decorated bag. "I've never had to plan a party. That was always in my sister and Linda's department. We always did what they told us to do."

"Well, this is honestly my first time planning something like this," Eddie confessed. "Scarlett's first birthday was something really small. It was just Hattie, myself and a few friends. For her second, we didn't do anything so this year I really wanted to do something special for her."

"You're a great mom, Eddie," he said, reaching over and rubbing her thigh, with a smile. He loves seeing the way Eddie and Scarlett interact. He hopes that maybe one day, in the future, he and Eddie can welcome a little one of their own. "Have you ever thought about having more kids?"

She pursed her lips then smiled, "Sometimes... I mean, I do eventually, when the time is right. Scarlett is a handful but she's the best thing that's ever happened to me. What about you?"

He stood up, letting the candy fall from his lap, then pulled Eddie to her feet, wrapping his arms around her waist, "I do. I really do. And I would love for it to be with you, as long as you're down for that."

Eddie sighed happily. It was something that has crossed her mind about quite a bit, especially when seeing Scarlett and Jamie together. "Thank you for everything you do for us," she said softly. "Scarlett is not even your daughter but you've loved her like she was your own from day one. You always include her in everything and make her feel so loved." She smiled up at him, "I love you."

He tightened his grip around her waist, "I love you too. More than anything."

She leaned up and kissed him, putting her hands on the sides of his face then wrapping her hands around his neck. His hands ran up and down her back, eventually running them over her bottom then stopping at the back of her thighs, bending his knees, wanting her to jump. Before things went any further, a small whisper made everything come to a screeching halt.

"Mama. Mr. 'aime," they heard, turning to see Scarlett, peeking out of the doorway of the bedroom, staring at them with curious eyes. "What you doing?" she asked innocently.

Jamie and Eddie immediately pulled back from each other. "Nothing baby," Eddie said nervously. "We were just giving each other a hug. Right Jamie?" she said, turning to him.

"Yep," he said nodding, mortified with what Scarlett had possibly seen. "Just giving your mama a hug, munchkin."

"Oh." She opened the door a little wider and stepped out of the room, "Me get hug too?"

Eddie crouched down, opening her arms wide, "Come here sweetheart." Scarlett excitedly ran into her mother's arms, laughing as Eddie scooped her up and smushed her in between her and Jamie, both giving her kisses and tickling her.

A little while later, the three of them sat together on the couch, when Jamie looked at the time and saw it was almost eleven. "I think I should go," he whispered, trying not to disturb Scarlett who had fallen asleep again in between them.

"Okay," she mouthed, standing up and placing the sleeping toddler on her shoulder. "I'm gonna lay her down first. I'll be right out."

He watched as Eddie walked into the bedroom and gently laid Scarlett down, tucking her in and giving her a quick kiss on the forehead. She quickly tip toed out the room and shut the door.

"Thanks for helping out with the goody bags," she said, walking up to him. "And that was a close one with Scarlett."

He nodded, "I was trying to prepare myself for the questions she'd ask but thankfully, she didn't ask any."

"Me too," she laughed. He smiled down at her then leaned in, giving her a long, deep kiss.

She pulled back with a soft smile, grabbed his hand and walked him to the door, "So, I guess I'll see you on Saturday?"

"Of course," he replied. "And don't forget to send me the information on the cake."

"I'll do that." She leaned and gave him one last kiss, "Be safe getting home."

"I will. I love you."

"I love you, too." She leaned against her doorway watching him walk down the stairs. "Jamie," she called out.

He turned around, "Yeah?"

"As for Saturday... it's going to be a late night." She winked and walked back into her apartment, shutting the door.

Jamie laughed, shaking his head. _She's going to be the death of me, _he thought to himself. He turned back around and walked out to his car, counting down the days until Saturday so they could finally have their time.

* * *

_Next, Jamie and Scarlett get to celebrate their birthdays and an unexpected guest shows up to the Scarlett's party trying to cause trouble for Eddie._

**_A/N: I'm also taking prompts so if anyone has any ideas, send them my way. I'd love to give them a try :)_**


	25. Chapter 25

_**Hi guys! Sorry that I've been MIA. I'm in the middle of a summer college class that has kept me really busy but I was able to find some time today to finish this chapter. Enjoy and thank you for sticking with this story! **_

* * *

_Eddie J: Hey you! Since we're celebrating your big day today, Happy Birthday! I can't wait to see you tonight. I would've called but Scarlett doesn't know how to stay asleep past six and I know your shift ran long last night so call me when you see this message. I love you so much._

Jamie smiled as he set his phone on the nightstand. There would be something different about this birthday. It wouldn't be another one of just going to his Dad's house for dinner, opening a few gifts, and calling it a day. He would actually be with the woman who brightened his world more than he even thought possible.

He picked up his phone off the nightstand again and dialed her number. After the first two rings, he was greeted with the sweetest voice, "Hi Mr. 'aime!"

"Hi Munchkin," he replied gently. "How are you sweet girl?"

"I good! Happy birthday!" she exclaimed excitedly.

"Thank you sweetheart. I can't wait for your party tomorrow. Are you excited?"

"Yeah! I so 'cited!" He heard Eddie's voice in the background. "Mama comin, Mr. 'aime!" He smiled as he heard her little footsteps run and hand Eddie the phone. "Here go, mama!"

"Thank you, baby," she said to Scarlett. Eddie put the phone up to her ear, "Hold on a second, babe."

"Alright," he replied.

She hoisted up Scarlett onto the barstool and set her plate in front of her. "You stay on the stool, okay? Tell me when you want to get down." Scarlett nodded and proceeded to eat her breakfast.

Eddie put the phone back up to her ear as she walked into the living room, "Hey you. Happy Birthday."

"Thank you," he answered with a smile. "I'm ready to see you."

She smiled, "Me too. Just a few more hours. I have a few little surprises for you too. There's one that I know you're really going to like," she said suggestively.

"Oh yeah?"

"Mhmm."

"I can't wait to see it." He took a deep breath and tried to shake out the ungentlemenly thoughts that were going through his head. _Just a few more hours_, Jamie thought to himself. "Is everything ready for the party tomorrow?" he asked, changing the subject.

She looked around at her rainbow infested living room, "Yeah. Everything's done. How are you?"

"I'm good," he answered. "Still in bed. I honestly might go back to sleep. I'm pretty comfortable."

"Well," she uttered, lowering her voice and walking off into the bedroom, still keeping an eye on Scarlett who was eating. "You should get all the rest that you can get because you and I are gonna be up pretty late tonight."

"Jesus woman." He glanced at the time and sighed, hoping that the hours would go by quickly. "You're killing me here."

She let out a small chuckle, "I know."

There was a moment of silence before they heard a small voice call out, "I doneeee!"

"I think that's for you," Jamie said with a small chuckle.

Eddie laughed, "Yeah. She was pretty quick. So, I'll see you tonight? Seven o'clock?"

"Absolutely."

"Good. I love you."

"I love you, too. See you tonight."

She smiled, "See you tonight. Bye."

"Bye."

* * *

That evening, after sending Scarlett and a box of party decorations with Hattie, Eddie stood in her bathroom, assessing her reflection in the mirror. She wore a maroon, scalloped lace top that accentuated her ample chest perfectly and styled her blonde tresses with simple waves.

As excited as she was about tonight, she was also a little nervous. It's been a long time since she's been with anyone, the last time being... well, when Scarlett was conceived. After breaking the news to Aaron, he stopped the physical side of their relationship because he just found it "too weird" being intimate with her and knowing that there was a baby in there. Also, she was still a little self conscious about her figure. There was still a few stretch marks and a pudge or two that she wished to get rid of.

The sound of Jamie knocking on the door got her rooted back in the present. "It's open," she called out as she quickly applied more lip gloss then went out to greet him.

"Hi," she greeted as she walked over to him and smiled to herself as she saw that he was carrying a small bouquet of flowers.

"Wow," was all Jamie could muster as he laid eyes on her. Eddie was always a vision to behold but tonight, she was even more so. "You look... damn."

She laughed, "I'll take it that I look pretty good." She pointed to the flowers, "Are those..."

"Yes, these are for you," he answered, handing them to her.

"These are beautiful, Jamie. Thank you," she responded as she laid them on the table then went back and wrapped her arms around his neck to give him a proper greeting.

"You're a knockout, Eddie," he said, tightening his arms around her waist. "A complete knockout. I'm pretty damn lucky."

"I'm lucky too, birthday boy. Tonight's suppose to be about you, not me."

"Well, since it's my birthday dinner, I want tonight to be about both of us. Are you good with that, Janko?"

She leaned up and stopped about less than an inch away from his lips with a mischievous smile. "Definitely," she whispered. He closed the gap and went in with one hand threaded in her hair and the other running over the swell of her bottom, pulling her more into him.

After a few minutes, they broke apart for air. She smiled up at him, laying her head on his chest as he pressed a quick kiss in her hair. "You hungry?" she asked.

He nodded, "Starving." She picked up the flowers off the table and walked into the small kitchen with Jamie right behind her.

"Who is this for?" Jamie asked, pointing to the race car balloon that was tied into one of the bar stool legs.

Eddie looked over and laughed, "For you. It's from Scarlett. She insisted that you just had to have it for your birthday."

Jamie shook his head with a laugh. Scarlett Rae was such a character and his love for the little girl grew by leaps and bounds the more time he spent with her.

"I'll have to thank her when I see her tomorrow," he said. "Can I help you with something, Eddie?"

"No, no," she chided gently. "You sit down. I got it."

He took a seat at the dining room table and waited patiently as Eddie served their plates.

"Is that what I think it is?" Jamie said excitedly as she walked over and set the plate down in front of him.

She nodded, "It is. I was having trouble deciding on what to make for tonight then Hattie reminded me how much you raved about her ginger chicken. She gave me the recipe."

Jamie kissed her hand, "You're way too good to me."

She returned the affection by kissing his cheek, "You deserve it."

"This all looks so amazing," he said as she sat down with her plate. "Thank you so much for doing this for me, Eddie. I know it must've been crazy trying to handle this along with Scarlett's birthday party"

"You're welcome," she said with a smile. "It wasn't a hassle at all. It's the least I could do to repay you for our date the other night." She lifted up her wine glass to sparkling rosé, a now favorite of theirs. "Cheers to you, Jamie. Happy Birthday."

He lifted up his glass and clinked it with hers then leaned over and gave her a kiss. "Thank you."

They put down their glasses and began to eat. "This is so good," Jamie raved.

She smiled happily, "I'm glad you like it."

They ate in comfortable silence for a few minutes before Jamie spoke up. "Eddie?"

She looked up at him, "Yes?"

He put his fork down, "I want to talk to you about something."

Her stomach went into a free fall. "Okay," she uttered nervously, while putting her fork down and placing her hands in her lap.

"I love you," he began. "I think you know that and if I don't say it enough then please let me know so I can say it more. You're the most important person in my life and I don't think I've loved someone as much as I love you. You're everything to me, Eddie."

She sniffled and nodded quickly, giving him a watery smile. "The same for me, too. I love you so much."

He got up and knelt down beside her, taking one of her hands in his. "You and Scarlett have brought something into my life that I didn't even know was possible. I'm at my best when I'm around the two of you and I hate that after the three of us spend the day together, we have to go home to separate houses. Every time I go home, I'm always wanting to come back."

"Hold on," she interrupted with a whisper. "You want to move in together?"

Jamie smiled up at her and nodded, "No pressure but yes. You two can move in with me or we can find a new place. I don't want to live separate lives anymore. I know it seems crazy and probably way too soon but I don't think it is."

"Wow," she said.

"Just think about it. And if you say no, that's perfectly fine because I'll just ask you again in a year," he said, leaning up and kissing her cheek. "This whole speech wasn't just about that. I have something for you, too." He reached down in his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box. "This is not a proposal... yet," he assured when he saw the look on her face. "But I wanted to give you something to show that I'm committed to you and to us." He opened the box and Eddie gasped quietly. It was a small, dainty opal ring with a few stones adorning each side of the band.

"Jamie," she whispered shakily, wiping a few tears away. "It's your birthday. I'm suppose be gifting you things, not the other way around."

"It's MY birthday, which means I can give you a gift whether you like it or not," he joked, reaching for her left hand. "What do you think? Do you like it?" he asked anxiously.

She nodded immediately, "I love it. It's beautiful."

He took it out of the box and slid it onto her ring finger, "I love you."

She leaned down and put her hands on each side of his face, pulling him in for a long, sensuous kiss, "I love you, too."

They stayed together for a second before Jamie took his place back across from her while she admired her new ring. "I've never had a piece of jewelry as nice as this," she said softly. "Thank you."

He reached over and grabbed her hand, "You're welcome."

"I guess this means I should give you your gift now," she said, standing up and giving him a smile. "I'll be right back."

Jamie nodded as she walked off into the bedroom. He was pretty nervous about tonight, wondering how she'd react to the ring. Jamie knows he wants to marry her, he's been sure of that for a very long time. If it was up to him, he would've proposed tonight but he knows that would've been too much for her at the moment, especially since their relationship is still pretty new. But he hopes that she agrees to moving in with him. They lived together for three months during the undercover operation and he loved every minute of it. There was something about coming home to her and Scarlett that he couldn't get enough of. It's the family life he's always wanted.

Eddie walked back into the room and sat down, handing him a small gift bag, "It's not much but I hope you like it."

"I'm sure I'll love it," he assured, pulling out the tissue paper and finding smooth, black leather patent box labeled _Nixon. "_I'm guessing it's a watch?" he asked.

"Open it up and see," she answered, smiling when she saw his eyes light up in excitement after opening the box.

"Oh shit!" he exclaimed, giving Eddie a look that reminded her of an excited child opening their gifts on Christmas Day. "How did you find this one?!"

"It took awhile but Mr. Nixon was able to help me out. Turn out that the Cunninghams go way back with him." Eddie gifted him a vintage Ingersol San Jose Automatic Gunmetal watch, one that was very hard to come by. It was one that Jamie had briefly mentioned to her a few months ago, saying that he'd always wanted one because he always liked the one Joe use to have. They discontinued them many years ago but luckily, Mr. Nixon was able to help her out and track one down. It was pricey for sure, but seeing Jamie's excited face made it all worth it. "Read the back of it."

Jamie flipped it over and found it inscribed. He read,

_The best is yet to come. I love you._

He stood up nodding then leaned over and kissed her. "The best is yet to come," he agreed. "Thank you, Eddie."

"You're welcome." Eddie glanced at their plates, seeing that they both were pretty much finished. She got up to go retrieve the dessert that her and Scarlett had made earlier in the day, pulling it out of the fridge and chuckling to herself about the way their concoction had turned out. The original plan had been to make a simple lemon cake, which is what Jamie preferred, but her little girl had other ideas. After adding an assortment of sprinkles, insisting that the frosting had to be a rainbow of colors to match her party theme and adding a tiny Hot Wheels car on the top as the finishing touch, the cake turned out to be... well, a hot mess. But she knew that Jamie wouldn't care, it would probably make him laugh out loud, which it did.

"Oh wow," Jamie laughed as she walked over to the table with the cake. "Looks like Scarlett had a hand in making it."

Eddie nodded, "Yeah. I knew it was a losing battle when she started adding the food coloring into the frosting."

"I like the car topper," he said as she set it down in front of him. "Nice touch."

"That was all her," she answered with a chuckle, moving the car to the side and placing one single, white candle on top and lighting it. "Happy Birthday, Jamie. I hope we get to spend many more of them together."

"We will," he replied with complete confidence. "I know we will."

"Blow out the candle," she urged gently. He nodded and closed his eyes for a quick second then blew it out. As Jamie reached for the knife to cut it, Eddie reached a hand out and stopped him.

"I think that cake will be fine until later," she said with a mischievous glint in her eye. He immediately caught on and stood up.

"Oh yeah?" he replied, grabbing her waist and pulling her into him.

"Yeah." She stood on her tiptoes, pressing a few small kisses to his lips while she walked him back into her bedroom. They made it over to the bed and she switched their positions, pushing him down onto it. "You wait right here. I'll be right back," she winked, walking to the bathroom.

"Trust me, I'm not going anywhere."

Eddie closed the door to the bathroom and uncovered the lacy, black negligee with a plunging neckline that she had hidden behind her bath robe that was hanging on the back of the bathroom door. She had spotted it one day while her, Scarlett, and Hattie were doing some window shopping at the mall. After going into the store and trying it on, she loved the way it made her look. It was sexy, daring and something that she had never imagined herself wearing. But now, after slipping it on and looking at herself in the mirror, she wasn't so sure.

Realizing that she was taking a little too long, she quickly tossled her hair, applied a little more lip gloss and opened the door. _Will he like what he sees?, _she said to herself as he glanced up at her.

Jamie stood up from the bed without a word, walked over to her in three strides, and took her into his arms, leaning down and taking her breath away with the intensity of his kiss, giving the answer she was hoping for.

* * *

_Well, I'm sure you all know what happens after that ;). _

_Next, Scarlett finally gets to celebrate her big day, Eddie discusses Jamie's move in proposal with Hattie, while Jamie has a heart to heart with his older brother, confiding in him about his feelings for Eddie. _


	26. Chapter26

_The next morning..._

Eddie turned over and smiled at her boyfriend's sleeping form. Their first night together went better than she could've ever imagined. The nerves she had leading up to it completely went away with the way he had cherished her. The night was suppose to be all about him but instead, he took care of her.

"You like the view?" he rasped jokingly, slowly opening his eyes and smiling over at her.

"Definitely," she laughed, scooting close and placing a kiss on his cheek. "Happy _real _birthday."

"Thanks," he answered, wrapping his arms around her and closing his eyes again. "I don't think I've ever been this happy."

She smiled, running her thumb over the faint stubble on his cheek, "Me too."

They laid in comfortably together for a few minutes before Eddie spoke up again, "You want to sleep in a little more or have some breakfast?" she whispered.

"Neither," he answered, rolling over and landing on top of her with a smirk. "How much time do we have until we have to get ready to go to set up for Scarlett's party?"

She looked over at the clock on the nightstand, "We need to be there by two."

"Perfect," he whispered, leaning down and taking her lips into his.

* * *

A few hours and a quick shower later, Jamie and Eddie sat on the couch together as they shared a bowl of fruit for breakfast.

"I was thinking," Jamie began, running his hand over her legs that were on his lap.

"Uh oh," she responded with a teasing smile.

He shook his head with a laugh and continued, "What do you think about going away for a few days? I have a few vacation days coming up around Thanksgiving and I would love to take you and Scarlett somewhere. Hattie too if she's up for it."

Eddie smiled, "Really?"

He nodded, "Yeah. We'd be here in the city for Thanksgiving day of course because I have to go to dinner with my family but after that, we'd leave."

"I'd love that. And I know Scarlett would too."

"Great." He leaned over and gave her a kiss. "Do you have any requests of where you'd want to go?"

"Mmm," she drawled out, tapping on her chin. "I think I'll just leave it up to you."

"Alright." He looked at the time, "We better get ready to go. We don't want to be late in setting up the munchkin's birthday party."

They cleaned up their mess then ran to the bedroom to get dressed.

* * *

"Ohhh, don't you look adorable!" Hattie exclaimed after helping Scarlett get dressed and fixing her hair.

"I love it!" Scarlett squealed, twirling around in the mirror. Hattie had made her a sparkly rainbow tutu with a shirt that says "Young, Wild, and Three!" in gold lettering.

"Let me take a quick picture so I can send it to your mama." Scarlett happily posed then made Hattie take a few more pictures for good measure.

"We go to my party yet, Nanny?" Scarlett asked impatiently.

"Not yet, baby," she said. "I actually have a surprise for you!"

"Ooo!" Scarlett squealed, eyes alight. "What is it, Nanny?"

"I haven't gotten you a gift yet so I figured we can go to the toy store right now so you can pick it out! After that, we'll go to your party."

"Yay!" Scarlett hugged Hattie's leg, "Tank you, Nanny!"

Hattie smiled and kissed the top of her head, "You're welcome, baby. Let's go!"

* * *

"Thanks for helping me, today," Eddie said to Jamie as they and a few others set up the party room at Bounce N Play. "It's your birthday and you're over here decorating for a three year old's birthday party."

"I don't mind at all, Eddie. Honestly. This birthday has had more action than any other one, _literally_," he said, smirking over at her.

She blushed and looked away from him. "How much more time do we have?" she asked, changing the subject.

He looked at his watch, "About one more hour until people start getting here."

Eddie nodded, "We're making good progress then."

A few minutes later, Eddie's phone buzzed in her back pocket.

"Ohhh, look at this," she said, showing Jamie the picture of Scarlett that Hattie sent.

Jamie smiled, "She looks cute."

Eddie looked back to the picture with a sad smile, "I can't believe my baby is three. It feels like I just had her yesterday. Before you know it, she's gonna be eighteen, graduating and leaving me."

"Whoa, slow down Eddie." He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "She's only three."

"I know," she replied. "But these three years feels like they've gone by so fast."

He kissed the side of her head, "Don't worry, babe. You still have many more years to enjoy her until you need to think about all of that."

She turned and hugged him, "I love you."

"I love you too. Let's finish this for the munchkin."

* * *

A little while later, Jamie and Eddie smiled as Scarlett and Hattie walked into now finished party room.

"Oh wow!" Scarlett exclaimed, looking left and right at colorful room. "I love it!"

Eddie crouched down and took the little girl into her arms, "I'm so glad you love it, baby. Is it everything you wanted?"

She nodded her head, "Yep! Tank you!"

Then, Scarlett's guests started to pile into the room so Jamie, Eddie, and Hattie began to mingle with the parents.

"Your little Scarlett is my George's best friend," Anne said to Eddie, as they watched the two youngsters jump around. "I was thinking about getting them together for a play date. George always talks about inviting her over but I didn't have any way of contacting you to discuss it."

"Scarlett would love that," Eddie replied with a smile. "He's the only one of her friends that she talks about so I think it would be great to get them together."

"Great! I'll give you my number before we leave so we can set it up. George will be so thrilled."

A few minutes later, a sweaty Scarlett ran up to Jamie and Eddie and started pulling on their hands. "Come jump with me! Pwease!"

They happily obliged and followed the little girl out onto the floor. The other partygoers smiled as they watched the Jamie, Eddie, and Scarlett bounce around. Hattie even took out her phone to take a few photos of the three. After awhile, ten sweaty kids plus Jamie and Eddie walked back into the room to eat.

"All that bouncing made me realize how out of shape I really am," Jamie panted as he helped Eddie and Hattie pass out pizza to the kids.

"Me too," Eddie replied. "I'll definitely be sore tomorrow."

Hattie laughed at the exchange, "You two are still young. Embrace that you're still able to jump around like that."

Jamie nodded, "Besides our aches and pains, the munchkin seems to be having a great time."

"She really does," Eddie replied, looking over at Scarlett with a soft smile. "I'm so happy that she loves it."

"Mama!" Scarlett called out when she saw Eddie looking over at her. "Come here, pwease!"

"Sweetheart," Hattie said to Jamie as Eddie walked off. "Weren't you going to go with your family?

Jamie checked the time, "Yes but not until later. I'll stay until the party's over to help clean up."

Hattie smiled and patted his shoulder, "Alright."

A little while later, once they saw that the kids were starting to get tired, they decided to do Scarlett's cake then call it a day.

"Happy Birthday to you," everyone began to sing as Eddie set down the cake in front of Scarlett. "Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday dear Scarlett. Happy Birthday to you."

"Make a wish, Scarlett," Jamie called out as he took a video.

She closed her eyes for a few seconds then blew out the candles. "Yay!" Everyone clapped.

"What did you wish for, baby?" Eddie asked as she leaned over and kissed Scarlett's cheek.

Scarlett put a finger up to her lips, "I not telling, mama."

"Okay," Eddie laughed.

As they served the cake, Scarlett ran up to Jamie and rugged on his pant leg, "Mr. 'aime?"

He crouched down to her level, "Yeah munchkin?"

She threw her tiny arms around Jamie's neck and squeezed, "Tank you for erything!"

Jamie sighed happily and kissed her cheek, "You're welcome sweet girl. Happy Birthday."

Two hours later, after the guests had left and they cleaned up, Jamie buckled a sleeping Scarlett into her car seat in Eddie's car.

"I'll come by later this week to drop off Scarlett's gift," he whispered to Eddie as he took one more look at the sleeping little girl. "We were so busy with everything that I forgot to go to my place and get it."

"Alright," she replied, closing the back door. "Thank you for everything today, Jamie. Seriously. I really appreciate it."

"It was my pleasure," he said, leaning in and giving her a soft kiss. "I had a good time."

She smiled, "I'm glad. So, call me later?"

"Definitely," he replied, giving her one more kiss. "And think about what I asked, alright?"

She nodded, "I will."

Jamie opened the car door for her then watched as her and Scarlett drove away.

* * *

"How did last night go, baby?" Hattie asked as they finally settled down in the living room after unloading the car and putting Scarlett to bed.

Eddie blushed, "It went great."

Hattie smirked, "By the look on your face, I don't need to know anymore."

"He's so amazing, Hattie. Honestly, before I met Jamie, I would've been perfectly fine not dating again. I had Scarlett and that's all I needed. But now that I have Jamie, I can't imagine being with anyone else."

"That's love, sweetheart," Hattie said with a smile. "I'm so happy for you."

"Also," Eddie added. "He asked me to move in with him."

"Oh really?" Hattie replied.

"Yeah," Eddie nodded as she nervously began playing with her hands.

"What's wrong, baby?" Hattie asked. "Do you not want too?"

"I... I don't know," Eddie answered, biting her lip. "A part of me wants to but the other part knows it's way too soon. Our relationship is still in kindergarten. I'll be honest, if it was just me then I would've immediately said yes but I have to think about Scarlett. I'm sure she'd be more than happy to live with Jamie but my thing is, what if we break up? How are we gonna deal with that? I'm just being able to afford the apartment I have now. If we break up then where would Scarlett and I go?"

"You know you always have a place to stay with me, baby. You know that," Hattie assured her. "I would never leave you without a roof over your heads. But if that happened, Jamie wouldn't kick you out like Aaron did. He would make sure you have a place to stay, especially since you have Scarlett. You need to talk to him, honey. Tell him how you're feeling about all this."

"I know but I just don't want to disappoint him."

"Jamie's going to respect whatever decision you make. He loves you and he loves Scarlett. He'll understand."

Eddie nodded and closed her eyes.

* * *

"So, how've you been, kid?" Danny asked his little brother, sitting down beside him in the sun room after his birthday dinner with the family. "I feel like I haven't talked to you in forever."

"I've been good," Jamie answered. "Just busy with work and stuff."

"Could you elaborate on "_and stuff_?" I heard from a little birdie that you've been spending quite a bit of time with a certain blonde."

Jamie smiled, "Erin told you, didn't she?"

Danny nodded, "Yeah, she did. I'm happy for you. I really am. When are you bringing her by?"

"Not anytime soon," Jamie answered. "I don't want to scare her off. Especially getting to know you," he joked.

Danny rolled his eyes with a laugh, "Whatever."

After a minute, Jamie spoke up again, "I love her, Dan. I really do. She's the best thing that's ever happened to me. She's the one."

"That's exactly the way I felt when I knew Linda was the one. I remember that I went out and bought a ring that day then proposed a few weeks later."

"I'm not that far yet but it's definitely in the plans. We still need some time before that happens."

"Alright. If you need any help with it just let me know. I did a pretty good job with Linda's ring."

"I'll let you know. Thanks Danny."

"You're welcome. Happy Birthday, Jamie."

* * *

_Next, Eddie gives Jamie an answer about his move-in proposal then unexpectedly, Scarlett ends up attending her first Reagan family dinner._


End file.
